Naruto: A New Hope
by Alucard1959
Summary: Death is absolute, or so Naruto thought. Given a new chance by the gods of life and death, Naruto faces this new world with one goal in mind, to bring true peace not just to Konoha, but to all of the Elemental Nations. But new challenges begin to arise, is he strong enough to rise to the occasion or will he embrace death once more? Genderswaps, NarutoxMassive Harem, future lemons.
1. Knocking on Heaven's door

**Prologue**

 **Knocking on Heaven's door**

 **I own Nothing**

A barren land of light and white, that is what greeted our young hero as he opened his eyes - expecting to be met with the soft blues of the noon sky, clouds scatter across it as they slowly move from one side to another.

Moments ago he was on his back - blood pooling beside him as his right arm was now missing from the elbow to the tip of his now non-existent fingertips. His long lost friend was to his side, brandishing the same wound as his own, both pools meeting somewhere in the middle. He was cold - down right freezing - even though the sun was overhead, beating down on the stones they laid their weary head to rest on. After a while, his mind began to blur and his breath started to hitch in his chest. He was done for, he could feel it. He was losing blood far too quick and was miles away from any Medical-nin. It would take them two hours to reach them and by then it would be too late, today was the day that Naruto Uzumaki's eyes closed for the last time, the final words to be heard in his last second was spoken from his friend.

"I lost".

Those words - impactful and emotional, rattled around the boy's mind as one of the few things he could remember. As he stood - surrounded by the white, empty space - his thoughts grew foggy, chipped, and shattered.

"A newcomer, such a pleasant surprise." A voice spoke, catching the young man's attention only to find nothing for the voice to originate from. Nobody, no mouth, no face, no nothing. He was alone, drifting in this white abyss with no direction, no purpose, no path.

"Is he who I think he is, the so call Hero of Prophecy?" A deeper, more authoritative voice spoke this time, this one coming from what he believed to be the left. He looked to find the same emptiness that surrounded him. "Yes, I believe so. At least - half of the said prophecy, I suppose."

"His eyes, his hair - it couldn't be denied, this is also the son of Minato Namikaze, the sacrificed child for none other than the Kyuubi itself." Now a third voice entered the fray, this one was more reserved with a raspy tone, almost as if he was inches from death. "I thought it would have been 10, 20 more years before I saw you before us; your death was most unforeseen." The vale of white was soon lifted, revealing the three that now stood before Naruto. They encircled him, each draped in their own garbs while the sat upon a custom throne of their own design.

The first was dawned all in white, her dress reaching her ankles as scarves looped around her elbows. Her hair was bright blonde and her eyes were a piercing silver. Her throne was a cream color, the smooth marble complemented the lady draped upon it.

The one to her right was dressed in varying colors of black and gray. Her skin pale while her hair was as black as tar and her eyes held nothing but white, an endless depth of white. This one's throne was composed of black and bones. The final one was something Naruto has seen once before, but only in a memory. The Shinigami, the bringer of death. It's throne was nothing more than a symbol of it's ability, the passage of time. The regal chair shifted and warped, not one word or a combination of them could truly describe what it was.

"So, it's true. I really am dead?" Naruto asked, astounded by the sights before him.

"Oh, and how did you come to that conclusion?" The one draped in white asked coyly, hiding her thin, rosy red lips behind the palm of her hand which was covered by her long sleeves.

"I don't know. Bright lights, ominous beings in big chairs, and the...lack of feeling. I guess you could say it was just an educated guess." He said with a sigh though he wondered how that was possible, seeing as dead things shouldn't even have lungs let alone the capacity to sigh or talk. "First educated guess in my life, I guess."

"Yes, mortal." The creature draped in black and grays spoke first, "I am Yami."

"And I go by the name of Kami," The one dressed in white spoke, a smile on her porcelain white face as she introduces herself, "and it's a pleasure to finally meet you. We've heard much about you."

"Wait, you've heard of me? From who?" Naruto wondered, only to see Kami chuckle at his question.

"This is the focal point where every man, woman, and child who dies comes forth to meet their makers, many that you've seen and touched in your life have passed through here. Jiraiya, Kushina, Minato, Asuma, Itachi, Obito, the list continues." Kami stated calmly, her voice as soothing as silk and honey. "And we are no strangers to peeking into the mortal realm. We've seen you grow from a little orphan to a war hero. It's quite remarkable."

"I wouldn't call myself a war hero," Naruto blushed slightly, a bit bashful to such praise. After his battle with Pein and being slapped with the label of "the hero of Konoha", he's grown to feel a bit embarrassed for being called such things. "I was only one soldier in a war. We couldn't have won against Madara, Obito, or the Ten tails without everyone, and I mean that. A lot of good men and women died that day, I guess now you could add me to the list too."

"Without you, child, this war would still be going on." Yami interjected her voice more forceful and bass driven than her associates, "You may have been one man, but you've done the work of a million."

"Not to be rude but is there a reason you brought this up?" Naruto questioned.

"Impatient - Uzumaki blood truly runs through your veins." The Ghoul draped in white spoke this time, his voice so composed, so small. A voice you would never believe to come from such a menacing and feared creature. "This is a most fortuitous occasion, Naruto. The day of your death might be the day of your rebirth."

"Rebirth, I don't think I understand?" Naruto said a brow cocked slightly towards the gods before him.

"Of course you wouldn't, Shinigami has never been good at explanations. Especially to mortals." Said Kami, taking this time to speak out to the boy and elaborate on her "friend's" explanation. "We wish to provide you with a choice, between your own personal paradise and the gift of living once again. You've earned it for what you've done."

"Wait, do you mean winning the Fourth Shinobi War? Why would I be rewarded for something like that?" He asked once more, his already fractured mind began to ache from this new information just flooding forth, and he was never quite fond of thinking when he was still alive.

"No, war is a construct of your human ways. You human's killing one another over beliefs or land is as predictable as the sun setting or grass growing." Yami said, her words harsh but rung with the truth. No reward could be given for something as simplistic and single-minded as wars in the eyes of the Dark God. "No - we wish to give you this choice for doing the impossible."

"what did I do?" He wondered.

"We see all, from the creation of man to the rebirth of one of our creations - Kaguya, the Rabbit Goddess. We even foresaw the death of your people and the death of your dimension. But, you changed it - our eyes were blind to what would happen next. Not even the famed Sage of Six Paths could deviate from our foresight. You did something no one else has ever done - You blinded gods and changed your predestined fate." Kami explained, taking over for her sister as if it was scripted. Their tone's seemed so different yet, when spoken in tandem with one another, it creates an easy blend of warmth and cool tones.

"I don't understand, how could I do that?" He questioned.

"That is something even we cannot explain." The Shinigami stated simply, his bony finger pointing rigidly towards Naruto. "But we know that you are the key to all of this."

"But I still don't get why I should be given this choice. I didn't do this alone - Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Obito and countless otheres helped me defeat Kaguya, I wasn't the only one on that battlefield and I wasn't the only one working to change our fate." Naruto stated firmly, unwilling to believe he was the only one to do this.

"Yes, we are aware of that, mortal," Yami stated firmly. "But you were the only one to catch us by surprise. Sasuke's death was foreseen, Sakura's as well, and Kakashi alongside Obito was nothing more than a forgone conclusion. But their deaths - they were stopped or altered by you. Obito and Sasuke died with dignaty and reconsilation with his long time friend, while Kakashi, Sakura, and the world are now safe because of your influence. You rewrote the set path, you deviated from our foresight. We wish to give you this choice above the others because you've caused a change, a change that we are fascinated with." Naruto fell silent, his mind raced with thoughts as he stared at the white floor, hoping something would come to him - anything.

"If you choose paradise, then that will be the end of it - we will not force this upon you. But if you choose life, we will watch over you in another dimension, studying this phenomenon more closely this time around. Hopefully, this will give us an explanation of this strange occurrence." The Shinigami explained, catching Naruto's attention once more.

"Dimension?" He asked.

"Yes, once again Shinigami has forgotten he is talking to a mortal, who is unfamiliar with the intricacies of how this works." Kami smiled, though from her tone you could tell this was something that happened on a daily occasion. "Your world is one of an infinite amount of other worlds, some very similar while others are drastically different to your world. They are created by the infinite possibilities of a single choice. Let's take, for example, your death. You died, that is for certain, but before that - there was a whole host of possibilities that could have happened. But, for time's sake, let's narrow it down to two. The possibility that you die - the world you just came from - and the one you didn't die. Now, thanks to those two possibilities, two identical worlds are formed - except for those exact crucial point. Both exist at the same time but as a different dimension. One dimension is the one you just came from, a dimension that lost their Naruto Uzumaki - while the other, you're saved and healed by Sakura and live a life of happiness and love with your wife and two children. Do you understand this now?"

Naruto stares at the god, his eyes wide and his mouth ajar. "...So, what you're saying is I get to live again in my….. "old" dimension? So, like, I'll be a zombie? Don't you think that would be a little….odd?"

"Let's see, how can I explain a complex situation such as this to a mere mortal?...Life and Death are like doors, child. Once it is closed in your dimension, it cannot be opened. Now, this is the first time we've ever given a mortal a choice to live after his soul has been collected from his body. So, we believe that if we bring you back to life in another dimension you will be given a new door that will stay open until you die once again." Yami said, her voice held a mix of annoyance and total detachment. Though this unknown phenomenon has gotten her curious, the boy that caused it certainly has not.

"So, I'll be alive again, but in another dimension," Naruto asked, looking to Yami for confirmation.

"Yes," she nodded with little motivation, her head now resting on her knuckles as she looks down on the boy with her lifeless eyes.

"So no one else will be given this chance, not even Sasuke?" He asked, still a bit hopeful his long time friend might get a shot at redemption - but then, as he looked to the gods, another thought came to his mind that needed to be voiced. "And what happened to Kurama, did he die with me?"

"No, no one shall. Sasuke or anyone else for that matter, does not exhibit the same signs that you have, which means it would be useless to give them this opportunity." The Shinigami answered his first question without delay, but when it came to the other one, he stopped and pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "As for the Nine-tailed Fox spirit that rested within you after your death. He was killed alongside you - however, the seal bonded your soul with his, meaning his spirit and chakra lives within yours. So, this discussion effects both you and Kurama."

"Bound spirits?" He asked once more, this meeting of the gods seemed to raise more questions than it could ever answer.

"Far different from being a simple Jinchuuriki - his mind is within yours while is chakra is pooled deep inside you. But you and you alone have the ability to control this power. He's alive within you but also not, in a way." Yami said simply, though to Naruto, nothing she said seemed simple.

Naruto remained silent - his thumb and pointer pinching his chin in thought. "...Wait, before I decide, I need to know. This world - this other dimension I could go to, is it the same as my old world? Is what happened to my world the same that will happen to this one?"

"In what way do you mean?" Kami wondered.

"Well, you know. Like the stuff with the Akatsuki, Orochimaru's invasion, Madara, Obito, all of that. Will it happen to this world too?" He clarified.

"Does it matter?" Yami asked dismissively.

"Of course it does! If they will face the same stuff I did, then I can stop it! I can save hundreds of lives, even stop a war before it happens! If I go back, I can save the people I lost before." He said with renewed vigor. Though he couldn't save many of those that mattered to him before, if he could have another chance to do it all again, maybe he could truly save those he loved and create a better, peaceful future.

"This world will be different, Naruto - changes always occur in different dimensions. Some more minimal than others, we cannot say that everything will happen in accordance to your dimension's timeline. But, we can say that the pieces are there." Kami said tenderly, hoping to let Naruto's rather ambitious hopes down gently.

"So….you're saying it's like a puzzle. All the pieces are there, but the can be arranged in a different order?" He said after a moment of silence on his part.

"I suppose if you wished to make something as complex and infinite as other dimensions and the timestream as a whole sound so simple. There will be changes, it is up to you if you wish to live in a world like this." Yami said, strangely surprised at how Naruto could dumb down such a complex part of the universe.

"...If there's even a chance that I can save Jiraiya-sensei, old man Sarutobi, Asuma, and all the others that died, then I have only one more question for you three. When do I leave?" He said triumphantly, prepared to dive into the fray one more time without fear or, rather, without any forward thinking or planning, but he's made a career out of that.

"Why? I do not wish to skew your choice, but I just wish to know. Why throw away paradise for a dimension of people that might not even know your name?" The Shinigami questioned, curious as to what the boy's answer would be - and it seems that he wasn't the only deity that was curious about his answer. They all perked up just slightly enough to go unnoticed by Naruto but not by the Shinigami, who seemed to smile weakly at their new found interest.

"Because with this new chance, I have hope in actually creating a peaceful world. I was weak as a kid; I could barely make a clone, how could I ever help anyone back then? Yes, I grew in strength, but it was always too late to truly make a difference. But now, I have the knowledge and the strength of my old self to bring forth peace with my bare hands. I can help the world become a better place, how could I pass this up? I couldn't live with myself knowing I could save the world and I chose to be selfish." He said, a fire burning in his non-existent stomach at the mere thought of his new trails.

"Who said you would have your knowledge still intact? We said we will give you back your life. That is all. Your knowledge and technical strength are not on the table here." Yami asked simply, prepared to see the human's burning drive whittle under the truth of the matter, only to be shocked once more by this blonde boy before her.

"Then…..Then I'll just become stronger in that dimension without it! I won't sit back and let this world suffer like mine!" He said without missing a single beat as he locked eyes with the pupil-less being of darkness, his stare unrelenting and unflinching.

"Such a true spirit and a strong heart." Kami smiled.

Yami heard her sister's praise and broke her gaze from Naruto in a slightly defeated manner. " A strong devotion to protecting others. I suppose this human is not entirely like I had thought, you are full of surprises, Naruto Uzumaki." Yami nodded, resting her hand on her chin in thought once more.

"Even in death, he still thinks of others. How interesting." Shinigami said - his raspy voice portraying his intrigue.

"What are you guys talking about?" Naruto wondered, looking to the three gods with his eyebrow raised. This meeting of the minds gave Naruto more questions than it answered and it wasn't really helpful when they seemed to be in their own little world, discussing things that in Naruto's mind made no sense. "you're not making much-"

"Very well, is this your final decision?" Yami questioned, deciding to forgo Naruto's previous thought to get to the simple question that all three gods wished to know.

"Yes, one hundred times, yes!" He declared strongly, a fire burning in his eyes. This was the fire that kept him moving, kept him striving for more, and this exact fire will be the same thing to give him a new life, a new chance, and a new hope for this new world.

"Then your choice has been made. Your body shall be restored to the way it was before you died, your memories and power intact." Kami said sweetly, her teeth glimmering in the afterlife's afterglow.

"Wait, but you said-" He began but was stopped by another.

"Simply a test, Uzumaki. Simply a test." The Shinigami said, raising his hand to stop the boy's question. "Besides, the Sage of Six Path's power that he bestowed upon you cannot be taken from you, not even if we wished it. The power was fused to your spirit, so even in death, you are recognized as the wielder of his power."

"Alright, I'm ready. Send me home!" He said with a smile. Though it might have only been a few minutes in real time, Naruto was finally going back home to where he belongs. He was now gifted with a second chance to make things right, he wasn't going to squander it, not even for a second. " _Jiraiya, Asuma, old man Sarutobi, and all of those lieves lost - I won't let you die, not this time. You can count on it!"_

"Very well, have a productive second life, Naruto Uzumaki." The Shinigami said as Naruto fades from their view to be placed within this new world. "We'll be in touch."

 **-New Dimension -**

A ball appeared within the forest of death, a gleaming orb of gold light morphed within the clearing - dissolving anything it touched. Soon, it gave way to a man, 16 of age, a pair of ripped orange pants and a fish net vest the only thing keep him modest. "Damn," He murmured, feeling the wear and tear on his body. "When they said they would restore my body to the way it was before I died, I didn't think they meant it literally. Well, at least they gave me my arm back."

" _This place,"_ Naruto thought, slowly raising to his feet as tenderly as possible. " _Where have I seen this place before…..Oh, right! Chunin exam, this is the forest of death! But…..but something doesn't feel right. It's night time, and I don't sense any chakra except for….a few over there. Wait, one's a Jinchuuriki!? What the hell is going on? But I guess I'm not going to learn anything by standing here all night."_ and like that, he was off with enough speed as you would expect from a bruised shinobi.

 **-Unknown Location-**

As the reborn hero from across dimensions speeds towards this unknown group, said group is gripped in a heated battle between the truth and the known. "They've been lying to you your whole life, Nami - since the decree 16 years ago." A sickeningly bitter voice spoke, her twisted smirk one of the few defining features. Her white hair rested shoulder length with a slight hint of blue to it and green, beady little eyes. She wore the standard attire of the Konoha-nin, which included a flak jacket and forehead protector that she wore like a bandanna. High up in the canopy of the Forest of Death she stood as she looked down on another pair of females who looked worse for wear at this point in time.

"What decree?" One asked, looking up at this smirking harpy with a confused tone in her voice that matched in her eyes.

"Everyone knows except you. Ikuko's trying to hide it from you even now, she'd do anything to shut me up!" She said ever so smugly, her smile seemed to grow the more she toyed with her prey.

"What are you talking about, what is this stupid decree!?" She cried out, growing tired of being played with.

"Don't tell her, it's forbidden Misuzu! Don't do it!" The now named Ikuko added another voice into the fray,

Misuzu wasn't deterred, however, as she continued onwards, staring deep into the blonde's eyes. "The decree is that no one can tell you what you really are, what's really inside you!" She said, pointing a sharpened nail towards the blonde, "Nami! Within you is the Nine Tailed Fox spirit, you are the Kyuubi! The fox spirit that killed Ikuko's parents and hundreds of lives in this village rest within you! "

"Stop it! Nami, don't listen to him! You're not the Kyuubi!" Ikuko cried out, hoping to reach her student but sadly, her words seemed to elude her precious Nami.

Seeing the tormented look in the girl's eyes, Misuzu pressed on, unrelenting in her onslaught. "They've all been sneaking around, hiding this from you your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt! Like they hated you for just being alive!" She said wickedly, without even a second to let Nami breath for even a moment.

"No….No! You're wrong, you're lying!" Nami cried, gripping the side of her head to hopefully block out Misuzu's words and the thoughts that soon followed.

"Nami, wait! Please - calm down!" Ikuko said tearfully, practically in tears as she watched her favorite student's mental state start to break before her and she could do nothing to stop it. It was too late, Nami now knew what almost everyone else did in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, that she was the Jinchuuriki of the nine tailed fox.

"That's why you'll never be accepted by this village! Even your beloved sensei and sister figure hates your guts!" As Mizusu's onslaught continues Ikuko tries to move towards her struggling friend but is unable to, her wounds immobilizing her, forcing her to watch as her favorite student is sent through such harsh torment. "Die, Nami!" Nami, noticing the twirling Shuriken now spinning on Misuzu's finger, begins panics.

"Nami, get down!" Fumbling backwards, all she could do was turn and duck, hoping the blade might miss her out of sheer luck. Ikuko jumped to protect her student - prepared to bite the bullet just to make sure Nami lived to see another day. Clinched and prepared for the attack - Ikuko waited for what felt like minutes for the sharp pain that usually accompanies an attack. Nervously - Ikuko looks back, prepared for the worst and whatever that would entail.

She was shocked to find someone - some stranger standing behind her, his hand grasping the tip of Misuzu's deadly windmill shuriken.

"People like you are nothing but garbage!" The man spoke bitterly through his teeth, clenching his fingers down on the blade as it crumbled like it was nothing. "You are poison that needs to be purged. This girl is not the monster, you are!"

"Who the hell are you?" Misuzu questioned, glaring harshly down at this mystery man for taking away her perfect opportunity to take out her only threat. "And who are you to judge? Do you even know what that freak is? It's a-"

"Jinchuuriki, the term you are looking for is Jinchuuriki!" He corrected, tossing the broken windmill to the side. "They hold a burden that you couldn't possibly understand nor will you. You know, I met a guy just like before, looked like you, talked like you, and even thought like you. Do you know what I did to him? I beat him to a bloody pulp for hurting my sensei and for all he's done to me over the years. Now, I'm going to do the same to you!" He said sternly as his eyes stared back at Misuzu with a glare so harsh it could burn through her head if he wanted too.

"Try me, boy! I'll rip you to shreds!" She yelled bitterly, preparing to toss the last windmill towards the blonde, believing his previous catch was somehow a flock. As her arm reached back the blonde male disappeared in a blur of tattered orange clothing and his bright blonde hair only to appear before her with speeds unlike anything she's ever seen.

"You abused this lady for something out of her control, you use her for your own personal gain, and now you wish to kill her for your own sick, twisted version of preciousness." He gripped her wrist, keeping her from grabbing her trademark weapon to defend herself. He lifts her from her crouched position so she was now face to face with his piercing blue eyes, and now she realized how dire this situations has just turned. "You won't touch a hair on that girl's head or anyone else's for that matter for as long as I live. Now, begone." Those were the final words heard by Misuzu for quite some time as Naruto raised his free hand and brought it across her face, propelling her downwards onto the waiting ground….with enough force that would make Tsunade jealous.

To Naruto's defense he actually wasn't planning on hitting her all that hard….it just kinda happened. He still wasn't used to his new found strength and he mostly fought people at his level or stronger, not giving him all that much time to scale his power against lesser beings. As Misuzu laid in her crater twitching, Naruto jumped from his perch and landed in front of the wounded ladies, who he quickly helped up.

"Hey, are you two alright?" He asked, slowly helping the darker skinned lady up first before assisting the blonde.

"Y-Yeah, just a few cuts. Nothing serious." Ikuko said numbly, placing a hand on one of the more active wounds to stop it from soaking her flack jacket. "I should be asking you that very question. You're a mess!" She said quickly, noticing his tattered clothing and dried blood and bruising that coated a decent portion of his face.

"Oh that, don't worry about me. I'm a quick healer. What are your names?" He said bashfully, hating to look like this in front of two rather attractive females.

"Ikuko, and this one is-" She began, but was silenced when her student whipped around her, now standing in between both her and Naruto with widened eyes and a jovial smile.

"Holy crap, mister! How did you do that? That was so cool!" She practically gushed as Naruto's blush creeped moreover his features the more this blue eyed beauty continued to stare at him.

"This one is Nami, she's a bit ditsy as you can tell." Ikuko sighed, though anyone could tell it was all in jest. This now named Nami stood a few inches below both Ikuko and Naruto, she wore a dark orange and black jacket that is unzipped, revealing her black tank top and fishnet top. Her pants were baggy with the same dark orange hue that matched her jacket. She looked around Naruto's age, though her "ditsy" stare could have been confused for a 12 year old. (Naruto's outfit from Shippuden but open in the front.)

"Hey, who are you calling ditsy? I'm just curious - is all. But mister, seriously, how did you do that? You beat Misuzu with one slap!" Nami said, switching between her nose stuck up in defense to a enthusiastic teen once more, her long pigtails bouncing with every swivel of her head.

"Oh, well um, it wasn't very hard for me. I've trained a lot to take on people much stronger than her." He said, scratching his whiskers as he usually did when he couldn't really come up with a clever answer.

"And that stuff you said - the stuff about Jinchuuriki's, were you telling the truth?" She asked, her eyes glued to the blonde as if his words were law.

"Of course, I know a lot about the struggles of Jinchuuriki's." He said, his bashful nature now replaced with his trademark smirk and thumbs up, making Nami's smile grow even more.

"What's your name, mister?" She wondered, her curiosity peeking the more she spent with this strange man, and she wasn't the only one who seemed curious as to who this man could be. Ikuku stared at the blonde, her eyes transfixed on his birthmarks on his left and right cheek as she then quickly looked to Nami, noticing the exact same lines in the exact same place. She continued this for quite a while, looking back and forth as her eyes grew wider and wider as she noticed how similar the two were.

"Oh yeah, how could I forget my manners. The names Naru-" He began only to see a bush twitch out of the corner of his eye. He looked behind him but was too late to stop what was about to happen. A squad of masked ANBU's burst from their hiding space, surrounding the three with their weapons bared and authority in their voice. "Nami Namikaze, drop the Forbidden scroll and come peacefully or we will use force!" One said, his purple hair the only thing separating him from his comrades. He points his sword towards the blonde as he slowly walks toward the girl who held the scroll on her back. Quickly, the wonder in Nami's eyes vanished, leaving her nervous and rightfully scared.

"Wait - ANBU's stand down! There's been a mistake!" Ikuku said forcefully, standing in front of her student with her arms stretched out wide - and though her words were strong her body did not give off that same strength. The brutal assault that Misuzu rained down upon her had taken it's toll, leaving her little options to protect her student.

" _Wait, the Forbidden Scroll? Why does this seem so familiar? And did she just say Namikaze?!"_ Naruto thought as he just stood stock still, watching everything transpire while something in his mind began to click, a memory from years past.

"Ikuko Umino, stand down. We'll take it from here." A voice called out, catching everyone's attention. The group looked to the tree line to find an aged female who donned the customary hat and haori with a red, full-length kimono that is tied using a white sash. As she walks into view a tiny bit of smoke billowed from her nose. This was the third hokage, Hiroko Sarutobi.

"No, wait. Lady Hokage, this isn't Nami's fault!" Ikuko said firmly, "she was tricked by Misuzu. She wanted to steal the Forbidden Scroll and used Nami to do it. It was a farce to get Nami blamed for the theft of the scroll." The Hokage stood still, her eyes hard and focused as they turned from Ikuku to the student who she protected.

"...Is this true, Nami?" She asked, firm yet a bit of hope still evident in her voice.

This time Nami decided to speak for herself, stepping out from behind Ikuku as she looked her leader dead center. "Hai, she told me if I could take the scroll without you finding out and learn a technique from it before any of you found me I would pass and become a ninja." She said honestly, slipping the string that held the scroll to her back off and cradled it in front of her, prepared to pass the sacred scroll back to it's rightful owner.

Hiroko stood silence for a moment as she took another drag of her pipe. "And Misuzu, where is she now?" She asked, looking to either of them for this answer.

"In that crater over their." Nami said, almost as if she was pointing out a restaurant on the corner street to a stranger.

Hiroko's eyes widened slightly, seeing only Misuzu's pale hand hanging limply from the hole in the ground. She motioned for her ANBU's to take care of this problem before turning her attention back on the group, now fully aware of this new and yet familiar face. "...and who is this blonde fellow? The one gawking in our direction."

The said blonde fellow has spent the past couple of minutes racking his brain over and over again to find out why this seemed so familiar to him, it was almost like deja vu. Then, just as the Hokage strided forth did he realize what was happening before him. "Y-Y-Your Jiji, S-Sarutobi! B-B-But you're a girl, and Iruka, you have boobs. A-A-A-And Namikaze….What the hell is going on here?!" He sputtered, his words incomprehensible mess of statements that no one truly understood. He began pointing at each person he listed off as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The Hokage cocked a brow to this but decided to keep her composure, for now. "I think I'll be asking the questions here. Now, who are you?" She said calmly.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said, though his eyes still seemed to bounce from person to person in a hectic fashion. " _What is going on here?"_ he wondered, " _Iruka-sensei and old man Sarutobi….there all girls! And who the hell is this other girl? I've never seen her before in my life."_

"...Impossible," Hiroko whispered, "all Uzumaki's have been wiped out. The last Uzumaki was our Fourth Hokage."

"What? No, the Fourth Hokage wasn't an Uzumaki. It was Minato, Minato Namikaze!" Naruto said sternly, though, the fact that he was in another dimension far different from his own seemed to be lost on him as he blindly defined his own history.

"There is no one of record named Minato Namikaze. The only Namikaze to ever live in Konoha is Nami and her mother." The Hokage said, perplexed at this man's insane ramblings.

" _Wait….Nami Namikaze, Fourth Hokage was an Uzumaki."_ He began to think as his eyes slowly turned to Nami who's been standing there, patiently watching them argue back and forth. " _Forbidden scroll, a fake test, Misuzu…...Oh my Kami!"_

"You're me!" Naruto yelled, pointing at Nami.

"What?!" Nami yelled, gripping the scroll tightly from the loud proclamation. While this statement startled Nami it utterly confused the rest of the group. Each ANBU collectively stared at this man as if he had grown an extra arm while the Hokage decided she had heard enough, without a single word she signaled a dark haired ANBU to "take care" of this odd man before he continues to scare Nami.

"Y-You're me! B-But how is this possible? You should be at least 13! What are you, like 16? A-And you're a girl, you look…..you look just like your mother, our moth-" Before he could continue his mad rants the masked assassin silenced him with a single chop to his neck, knocking him unconscious for quite some time. .

"Wait, he was saying something about my parents!" Nami said desperately, surprisingly entranced by his ramblings. What did this man know about her family? What does he know about her mother? All of these questions remained unanswered as the Hokage walked next to her, a tender smile on her face.

She placed a tender hand on the girl's shoulder, alerting her to her presence. "He was talking nonsense, Nami-chan. Nothing to worry about."

"But, - "

"trust me sweetie, nothing he said was true. Now run along, you have a big day tomorrow." She said sternly yet sweetly, showing off her caring side towards Nami. Though she isn't related by blood, the Hokage couldn't get enough of her "grandchild". She was sweet, energetic, and downright infectious, something she shares strongly with her father - I suppose you could say that was one of the reasons she loves Nami, that and many more.

"Tomorrow?" Nami said curiously, passing the scroll back to it's rightful owner who took it with a smile.

"Of course, your team placement is tomorrow, isn't it?" She said coyly, slipping the strap over her shoulder as if this highly forbidden scroll was nothing but a purse.

"Y-You mean?" Nami asked, quivering at the thought of what her grandmother figure was about to say.

"You've earned it, Nami-chan. You've shown a lot skill tonight, even if those skills were used to _steal_ from the Hokage." The Hokage said, but decided to make sure to emphasize that this shouldn't be something that is done regularly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Baa-chan, you're the greatest!" Nami cutely squealed, latching onto her Baa-chan with such strength the aging joints of the Hokage began to pop and crack.

"Nami-chan," Ikuko said, getting his energetic student's attention. "I want you to close your eyes." She did, "alright, now open them." her eyes were greeted with Ikuko but missing one important piece of her attire, her headband. Nami touches her forehead to feel the cold metal touch of a headband engraved plate.

"I-Ikuko-sensei, but...but this is yours, you've worked so hard for this headband." She said, teary eyed.

"And so have you, Nami-chan. You've earned it. Besides, what genin doesn't have a headband?" She smiled.

"Thank you, Ikuko-sensei. I'll cherish this forever." Nami said, running off towards her house to get some much needed rest. A few ANBU's help Ikuko up and shisun her to a public hospital for treatment, leaving the Hokage and the unconscious Uzumaki alone.

"What do you want us to do with him, Lady Hokage?" The ANBU questioned, kneeling over Naruto's unconscious, snoring body. She grabbed a kunai in preparation for the Lady's command only to see the Hokage raise her hand in protest.

"That won't be necessary, Neko-san...bring him to my office, I think I have a few questions for this Naruto Uzumaki." She said, before she and her squad of ANBU's dispersed, leaving no trace of their existence behind.

 **-Hokage's Office-**

"W-Where am I?" Naruto asked, his body felt heavy and stiff while his neck was pulsating with pain. Whatever hit him, she knew what she was doing. He slowly looked around, finding himself in a very familiar place. Though a few things were out of place or just moved, but it still had the same old smell and the same old feel that could never be taken from the Hokage's official office.

"Oh, you're already up?" Hiroko said, looking up from her stack of papers to address her newly awakened guest. "Good, I was afraid Neko-san had hit you a bit too hard."

"Jiji, is that you?" He asked, gawking blankly towards the aging woman who, if you added a goatee to her and take away the obvious female figure, would look almost identical to his "jiji".

"Jiji? I am not an old man or your grandfather and I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that - I'm not that old." She said, at first to stave off any thoughts the boy had about her being a man or related to him, but then she felt slightly insulted by being called a grand-anything, only one teen could call her such things and her alone.

"Done, I'm just glad I can finally see you again." He said joyfully, happy to finally see Sarutobi alive, even if he's now more of a she, but it's still him…..just in a girl's body, right? "All though, you are a lot different from the last time I saw you - and I mean, A LOT different."

"What are you talking about? I don't believe I've ever met you before, and I think I would remember you." She said sternly, looking over the tattered mess that was Naruto Uzumaki at this moment.

"Your right, you don't know me. Well, not _really_ ," he said, "okay, now that the….initial shock has worn off - at least I think it has, I should be able to explain myself."

"That would be very helpful." She said simply, though curious as to what story this boy would make to explain himself.

"Before I say anything, please, keep an open mind. That is the only way we'll be able to get through this whole thing." Hiroko Sarutobi nods, allowing him to continue. "Alright, let's just get this out of the way first. I am not from here."

"That's quite obvious." She smiled.

"Jokes aside, I'm from a world….no, universe? No, they said dimension - yeah, that's it." He said, the memory of confronting the physical embodiments of gods and grim reapers seemed to be a bit fussy in his brain at the moment. "I'm from another dimension, one that seems a lot different than this. I was sent here by the three beings that make up all the world's checks and balances. Kami, Yami, and the Shinigami. Are you with me so far?"

"As much as I can be," skeptical as one would be, Hiroko wasn't all too invested in what he had to say, but she wished to keep her promise to the boy so she allowed him to continue.

"Good, at least I'm not the only one who's still confused." He said knowingly. He knew how crazy this sounded, hell, if he hadn't just been through it he would think it was crazy nonsense too. "Now, I've been given a second chance at life because of some test they want to run or something like that. Really, after a while the stuff they were saying and the way they were saying it confused the hell out of me. But, anyway, I took their offer to come here to protect the people that matter the most to me and hopefully bring peace to your dimension, something I wasn't able to do in mine."

"Is that the end of your story?" Naruto nods, " Very well. Now, I've been considered an open minded woman in my day. I can look into a person's eyes and tell if they are genuine in what they say and you, my boy, are telling the truth. But, I cannot - in good conscience, say that what you just told me was sold me on you being this dimension hopping being." She said honestly, taking a drag of her pipe once more. She stared the boy down this whole time and saw nothing but truth in those baby blues, but even if he believes himself to be telling the truth it doesn't mean that what he said wasn't any more outlandish and...well, crazy.

"What do you mean? You said that you believed me," Naruto asked.

"Yes, but god's giving you second chances, other dimensions, bring peace to another dimension. You may believe what your saying is true but I'm still needing to be convinced." said truthfully.

"So, you're still willing to hear me out?" Hiroko nods, "Okay then, I still have a chance. Let's see, if I can tell you something that no one else could, like a village secret or a secret of your own and if it's true, would you believe me then?"

She paused, pinching her chin in thought before she answered, "I might." Which gave Naruto just the slimest amount of hope but it was still possible.

"Alright…" He started, trying to think of anything and everything he knew about the world he came from and hopefully things that would still be applicable to this one. "One of your student's created a book named Icha Icha Paradise and you read it religiously." He said as the idea came to him. This version of Sarutobi seemed to act just like his - stern but kind when he needs to be, serious to those who pose a threat to his village but playful towards his village and it's people; so his perverse nature could have transferred to this dimension.

The Hokage blushes, slipping A hidden, orange clad book deeper into her Hokage rob sleeve. "I-I don't know what your talking about."

"Fine, be that way you perv." He smirked, though he wasn't too happy that she's actively lying to him which is making it harder for him to convince her. "...you have three students, Jiraiya of the Toads, Tsunade the Slug Princess, and Orochimaru of the Snakes. Orochimaru betrayed his village to seek everlasting life, Jiraiya is off dealing with his spy network, and Tsunade is drowning herself in cheap sake and gambling debts." He said once more, trying this time to deal with something more specific. Yes, everyone knew of the legendary Sannin but none of them truly knew where they were or why Orochimaru left the village so, possibly this could give him the edge he needed.

Unfortunately, Naruto's luck was not that great.

"Other than their titles, you couldn't be more wrong." Hiroko said with a sigh. "Orochimaru has never betrayed the village, in fact, she loves it. Her role in the council and around the village has helped it prosper for the past few years; especially after the last war. She's even garnered followers - a Clan full of passionate people ready and willing to protect and serve her. I've never trained anyone by the name of Jiraiya or Tsunade, though the names are quite similar to my other students. Jin of the Toads and Tsubasa the Slug Prince. But I do have to say you were right about their whereabouts, so, I'll give you ½ credit. Got any more?" Perhaps it was they way she looked at him or maybe the way she spoke to him, but Naruto knew she truly wasn't taking him seriously now.

" _Oh god, Jiraiya and Orochimaru are girls? I-I don't even wanna imagine what they look like! And Tsunade as a man?...Well, she always had the temper of one and she had an odd obsession with destroying things."_ A shiver ran up his spine as the image of the old perv peeking in on him while _he's_ in the hot spring. Now he knew how girls must feel when the saw his trademarked white, spiky hair walk into town. "...Okay, ummm, Jiray- I mean Jin once raised and trained three kids during one of the Great Shinobi Wars. One had a Rinnegan, Jin even believed the Rinnegan wielder to be the Child of Prophecy!" He said sternly, this time he was sure that it would work. It might seem like a very specific thing to pull out of his hat, but that's what he needed right now; something that could not be refuted or twisted.

A silence hung over the room as the Hokage stared deeply into the boy's eyes, shocked and astounded. "...How could you possibly know that? Jin only told a select few people, me being the last." She asked, recalling the day she heard about this "child of prophecy" from her student as if it were yesterday.

"That's because in my dimension that very Rinnegan user told me that story. But in my dimension the Rinnegan user, who was named Nagato in my time, grew to become a driving force in a group known as the Akatsuki." Naruto explained, happy to see he hooked her attention.

"The Akatsuki? What do you know of them?" She asked,curious as to what this boy knows of the Akatsuki.

"A lot, actually. Being hunted down by them for years gives you a lot of first hand experience." He said with a bitter chuckle, though three of the members became a precious person to him - four if you count Obito towards the end - but he would be a liar if he didn't say he couldn't stand what they stood for or what they did at the time.

"They hunt down the village's Jinchuurikis, extract their Bijuus, and use them to form a creature that they believe would bring peace to the world called the Juubi, an unholy beast formed from all nine bijuus."

"You must be mistaken. From the rumors I've gathered on this 'Akatsuki' group - they are nothing but a group of bounty hunters. A small scale group at that, they only have 4 members at best." She said with a tone of authority over the matter.

"Whatever rumors you've heard are lies. They've spread around to keep their secret dealings underwraps until they grow more in numbers and strength." He told her with a stern voice, his tone indicating he wasn't joking about the matter. "They did the same thing in my dimension and it worked like a charm."

"How strange." She said simply, unable to think of such a come back.

"One of the members is a Missing nin from this very village. An Uchiha who helped in the massacre of his very people that you and your council orchestrated to cut down the Uchiha revolt." He said, deciding it would be best to go for the gold. One of the best kept secrets of Konoha was now stated in a simple sentence, now let's see how the Hokage reacts.

"How dare you!" Apparently not so well, "we would never be so barbaric as to kill an entire clan to stop a few bad eggs and I am offended that you would even accuse us of doing what amounts to a mass genocide!" She howled, enraged by his accusation.

"A few bad eggs? It was practically the whole clan!" Naruto howled back, rightfully cross about how one of his genderbent role model's seemed to try and lie to him about such a horrific event in Konoha's history. It was one to lie about being a aved reader of those pornagraphic novels but a complete slaughtering of a clan was something entirely different.

"Maybe in this so called "dimension" you claim to hail from, but our history books say otherwise." She said, silencing Naruto for now. "A few, I would say 100 out of 300 members, believed they deserved more - that the great Uchiha people should be running this village, not sitting behind a council desk - a small cog in a massively complex machine. They believed that they could start a revolt, a coup to overthrow me and our entire way of living to make the Uchiha the top of the food chain. Unknown to these "visionaries", 2/3rds of their clan were still very much loyal to the village and two of them - the most loyal in their ranks, came to us with a plan. We neutralized the one's who went against us and nurtured those who stood with us. We did _not_ slaughter a clan, are we clear?" She said, her voice demanded his compliance. Naruto looked to her, his eyes saying something his mouth could not, he was wrong and he was sorry.

"Man, this world is so much different from what I'm used too." He sighed as he sat back down. Apparently through this heated debate, he stood from his chair placed in front of the Hokage's desk.

"It would seem so." She said, her voice betraying nothing but aggravation towards the boy and his suggestion just a few moments ago. "Now, if you're done-" she began, looking to her desk to keep her eye contact with Naruto at a minimum.

"No, wait. please, there's gotta be a way for you to believe me." He said quickly, his mind racing to find something else that could persuade her to his side of thinking.

"I'm sorry but you've only been partially right on the things you claim to happen. Yes, some were never told to the public, but that doesn't compel me to believe you about this "different dimensions" that you claim to be from." She said without a second thought, grabbing her pen to begin her paperwork once more.

" _ **Tell her to grab your hand, I'll deal with the rest."**_ A voice called out to Naruto, catching his attention and tongue from saying anything at the moment.

The voice was all too familiar for Naruto as a meek smile appeared on his face as he thought the name, " _Kurama? Is that you? And why should I ask her to grab my hand?"_

" _ **No time to explain, just do it!"**_ He roared in his usual demanding tone, silencing Naruto's questions for now.

"Wait, before you do anything-" He extends his hand over the desk right overtop her paperwork, catching her attention. "Please, grab my hand."

"Excuse me?" She said, slipping the pipe from her lips as she cocked her brow.

"I know this may seem weird," he began.

"extremely so." She said, staring between his outstretched hand to the body this arm is attached too.

"But please, it will explain everything. Trust me, you're the only one who could." Skeptical as anyone would, Sarutobi looked to this stranger's extended hand - hesitant to trust him. She looked to the corner of her office, peering at the ready in wait ANBU's, and was given assurance that if this was a trick - it would be swiftly put to a bloody end. Slowly, the aging Hokage raised her hand to meet Naruto's, gripping it lightly. And for a moment, everything seemed normal, only for a moment though. Once their skin connected everything before her blinked out of existence except for the blonde. Her office, her desk, the ANBU's she counted on - they had all disappeared to be replaced with eternal darkness.

"W-What is this place? What have you done?" Hiroko asked, mystified yet terrified of what just happened. She felt light, almost weightless as she seemed to float in this single spot seamlessly and without any help.

"I don't know." He said honestly, amazed at this sudden shift as much as she was. "to be honest, this is all new to me. One big surprise after another."

"How do you not know what's happening? You're the one who did this!" She barked his direction, feeling an uneasy in her stomach at seeing how empty and bottomless this dark abyss was.

"I was told to do this by Kurama, I've learned to sometimes just go with the flow when it's dealing with him." Naruto said, feeling rather at ease about this whole thing. To be honest, out of all the things that's happened to him today, this seems like the easier thing to take in.

"And who's Kurama?" Hiroko asked, though a part of her really didn't care, she just hopped this "Kurama" fellow knew how to get her back home.

" **Naruto? Can you hear me?"** A deep, booming voice answered the Hokage's question. She turned, looking aimlessly around to try and find where this resonating voice could possibly be coming from, but unfortunately she had no luck.

"Yeah, Kurama. I'm all ears, buddy - where are you?" Naruto said, copying the same aimless look as Hiroko as now both he and she were spinning in an infinite direction to find the body this voice originates from.

" **Do you not remember a single thing Kami said to you?"** He asked, causing Naruto stopped his weightless spinning and ponder on what Kurama could be trying to get at.

"Well, not exactly - I mean, I got the jest of it. You know, being given a second chance, something about different worlds - the rest was just white noise." He said truthfully, though the truth might not have been the best thing to say to his old partner.

" **Thick-headed as usual."** He sighed, Naruto could picture the usual face he made when he was feed up with Naruto's lack of brain power. " **Fine, then listen up cause I'm only going to be explaining this once more to your dumbass! When we died, we died together thanks to the seal placed on you when you were little. Also, thanks to that seal, our souls were bound together; meaning when you were revived in this world my soul was bonded to yours, along with my chakra."**

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why I can't see you." He said impatiently.

" **I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN THAT IF YOU WOULD GIVE ME FIVE FUCKING SECONDS!"** The beast howled, causing the pair of physical beings to cover their ears in pain. " **Now, as an average Jinchuuriki, my physical form would be sealed within you. But, since there's already a Kyuubi within this world, the gods decided, seeing as our souls were still bonded, to only send my consciousness and chakra with you. So, I have no physical form."**

"Oh, okay. I gotcha." He said simply, nodding his head in confirmation.

" **You're lying to me, aren't you?"** He asked dryly.

"Yeah, sorry." He sighed, hanging his head in shame of his lack of understanding.

" **Damn you, Naruto! What is so hard to understand!?"** He yelled.

"All of it, none of it - I don't know! This is a lot to take in! Can you blame me for being a little confused?" Naruto asked, hoping his partner would understand where he was coming from. Gods, bonded spirits, different worlds, gender switched people of his past - all of this was a lot to take in at once and Naruto's only been given a few hours to fully process this.

" **Fine, I'll dumb it down for your puny little human brain. My mind and chakra are there but not my physical body because there's already a physical Kyuubi in this world and this world could not handle more than one Kyuubi! Okay?!"** He said, hoping to move past this impasse to get to the reason he brought both of them here.

"Why not?" He questioned once more.

"I hate to interrupt this…...charming display of intelligence, but I still would like to know what is going on here!" Hiroko cut in, justifiably confused about what all of this and what was going on. Today was suppose to be a normal day - wake up, eat some breakfast with her husband, go into work and meet with the council about some civilian affairs, and then waste the day way with paperwork - but after Nami stole the scroll it seemed that all hell had broken loose.

" **Right, your explanation can wait, Naruto. We need to focus on swinging this Sarutobi to our side."** Kurama stated, understanding that this was of far more importance than Naruto's memory trouble.

"From everything that's happening, I'm more inclined to believe anything right now. So, Kurama - was it? let's hear it." She said with a sigh, hoping that what happened next would hopefully get her back at her desk, pushing papers all the more faster.

" **I don't need to explain it to you, I can give you the full experience of our world. Just close your eyes and you will see everything."** He said. So she did, hoping this might make sense of this whole crazy mess - and she wasn't disappointed. Every last memory from the point of view of Naruto flashed before her very eyes from the day he first drew breath to the second his last breath was drawn out of him. Everything was here, from the Forbidden scroll heist to the final climactic end to the Fourth Great Shinobi War. She even saw her funeral - how sad the people of Konoha seemed and how they grew to become stronger under the helpful rule of her student - or at least, the student of this dimension's Sarutobi.

She opened her eyes once more but this time she was not surrounded by the darkness that swallowed her up mere moments ago, but she was back to her usual office, her hand still grasped firmly in Naruto's - time almost seemed to stand still. "H-How long was I out for?" She asked to no one in particular, slowly releasing her death grip on Naruto's hand.

"Kurama said to us it was only a second. It's pretty cool how he does that, isn't it?" He said with a knowing smile, now he could finally move forward from this and, hopefully, with her help put the steps into motion to create a solid foundation for peace.

"T-The things that you showed me - those were real, they actually happened?" She asked nervously, the images still fresh in her mind.

"In my world, yes. And I came here to make sure it doesn't happen to yours." He said sternly, in his eyes was the fire of a determined man and Hiroko saw that now.

"I don't understand, this - this is so much to take in." She said.

"Welcome to my world." He smiled, happy that someone finally knew how he felt at this exact moment. "The second I've arrived in this world everything I've ever known has been dropped on it's head. Up is down, north is south - and I can bet it's just going to get a lot weirder as time goes on." He said knowingly, "...Wait, I do have a question for you. You called Nami - Nami Namikaze, why?"

"That's her last name - her mother gave it to her to protect her from her father's enemies." Hiroko said as the images from her out of body experience eased into the recesses of her mind for later.

"...Okay, before I stick my foot in my mouth in this new world, I'm gonna need some straightforward answers from you. So, here goes, who was the Fourth Hokage and who is Nami's mother?" He questioned.

"His name was Kukahiko Uzumaki, the first ever male Hokage. Nami's mother is called Minami Namikaze." Hiroko listed off.

"First ever? So, you're saying that every Hokage before him was female?" He asked, making sure his facts were lined up properly.

"Of course, it was a complete shock to Konoha and once word got around - many of our neighboring villages believed we were weaker for it." She said with a slight bitter note in her tone as she swivelled around in her chair to get a view of the gorgeous setting sun in the distance.

"Why?" He asked simply.

"There are many people out there with this foolish notion that men are weaker to women. Simply because there are fewer Shinobis produced from the Academy a year than Kunoichi - making many believe that they are the weaker sex in terms of being a formidable ninja. I believe it's a foolish idea to begin with, a gender does not restrict anyone from doing their job properly and effectively." She explained, her eyes now trained on the single male face on the Hokage Monument. "Some Kunoichi even have the nerve to opt out of a mission simply because they don't wish to be "held back" by their male counterpart. It's childish and stupid, plain and simple."

"...I can't believe I'm stunned again at how different this world is to mine." He said numbly, slinking back into his chair.

"How so?" She asked, turning back to face her guest.

"What you just said - it's the complete opposite of my dimension. Well, except from the part of opting out of missions - but other than that, it's pretty much a spot on flip of the switch." He said, recalling how oddly male dominate his dimension used to be. Sure, you had your Tsuande's, Anko's, and Kurenai's who push the boundaries for Kunoichi's everywhere, but in the history books, there are far more male shinobi's who are held as the strongest in the nation.

"All of this is far too much to go over in one night, I'm afraid. I think if we truly went over the differences of our two dimensions we would be her for days. So, I think it might be best if we pick this up tomorrow." Hiroko said, seeing the setting sun slowly roll below the monument, it's warm glow fading from sight to be replaced with the ink-black night sky.

"Well - I hate to ask this but, umm where will I be staying?" He said, hating to be a bother.

"Oh, yes that's right. I forgot to tell you - while you were asleep, I spoke to Nami and she couldn't stop asking me questions about you. Where you're from, what's your full name - the whole nine yards. If I didn't know any better I would say she had a crush on you and I can't say I blame her. You left quite an impression on her, so much so she offered to take you in. You'll be sleeping at the Namikaze residence tonight." She explained.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow" He nodded, standing from his chair before giving the leader of the Hidden Leaf village a respectful bow, both of gratitude and respect, something he sadly didn't show all to much when his Sarutobi was alive.

"Yes, meet me at the hospital at 12. I have a few test I wish to run to make absolutely sure that you are indeed who you say you are. Just precautionary acts, really." She said, waving the boy to stand. "Now, one of my personal ANBU's will escort you to the Namikaze residence. Goodnight, Naruto." As she said those final words to the boy, the same ANBU appeared behind him and lead him quite forcefully through the door, leaving Hiroko alone with a lone figure who lurked in the shadows.

"You believe him, don't you?" The shadow questioned.

"Do you?" Hiroko asked, her eyes trained solely on the papers before her, as if she didn't register this talking shadow.

"I'm not really the trusting type, sensei. You know that." She said coyly, "But he seems sincere, all though - even I've been wrong before. I suppose only time will tell. I'll inform Katsu that we'll be expecting a special guest tomorrow." The shadow soon faded away, revealing a slender woman with a pale skin tone and snake like eyes.

"Thank you, Orochimaru." She said with a smile.

"Of course, sensei. Anything for you," She said sweetly, a small smile graced her humble face. "And if I might suggest something, I would keep a very close eye on him. Something like this doesn't happen everyday." She warned her long time sensei.

"Why do you think I sent an ANBU to "escort" him to the Namikaze residence? I wouldn't let anyone that close to Nami without some boots on the ground." She said with a knowing smirk. Neko-san would keep a close eye on this boy, she would be his shadow for however long the Hokage will allow it. "I've learned over the years not to trust anything face value, but something about this boy - what he showed me, part of me does want to trust him."

 **-Namikaze Residence-**

"So this is the Namikaze residence. It's nice, better than my old apartment. Thank you for showing me the way, Miss." He turned to find the young ANBU gone without a trace. "Talkative bunch, aren't they." He sighed, before turning to the Namikaze's door and giving it a good knock. His long talk with Sarutobi had dulled his senses to the danger this place still held, causing him to overlook the ANBU perched two building over - watching him from afar with her hawk like gaze.

Whispers were heard throughout the modest home, things like "is that him?" and "move, mom! Move!" Could be heard clearly by the newcomer, which brought a charming smile to his face. However, the smile also hinted at something more - a slight bitterness maybe? This world's Naruto - Nami has grown up with a mother; a different mother than his, mind you - but a mother nonetheless. He wished to have that, and maybe he could in this new world but deep down, he knew it wasn't his true mother. " _I wonder what I would have been like if I was raised by you, Kushina?"_

He was pulled from his thoughts when the apartment door flung open, revealing a smiling Nami and her mother who stood behind her - seeming rather composed while he couldn't say the same for her daughter. Her smile was practically wrapped around her face, the trademark Uzumaki smirk.

"You came!" She squealed, grabbing him by his wrist and dragged him into the house without a second thought. This was going to be a long night.

 **Thank you all and please, if you have any questions feel free to PM me. Don't forget to review!**


	2. One Good Shock Deserves Another

**Chapter 1**

 **One Good Shock Deserves Another**

 **I own Nothing**

"I have so many questions to ask you, I don't know where to start!" Nami said aloud, almost dancing around her blonde counterpart with a critical eye that scanned him from top to bottom. "You said your name was Naruto Uzumaki, does that mean you're related to my dad? *Gasp* Does that mean you're one of my relatives!?" She gasped as she stopped in front of him, her eyes once again glimmered with wonder and hope.

"Now Nami, one question at a time. He can't answer you when you act like that." Fair skinned women spoke up, a vexed frown wormed it's way one to her alluring features. "Sorry, my daughters always been a bit too excitable. She gets that from her father, but anyway - hello, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. My daughter's been talking about you ever since she came home tonight, my name is Min-"

"Y-You're Minami Namikaze, right?" Naruto asked, taking his eyes from his dimensional twin to notice the stunning mother of one who stood gloriously before him. As her male counterpart before her, her hair was a spiky mess of blonde, silky hair that reached the base of her neck, two long bangs framed her soft face. She wore simple clothing though it clung to her perfectly, showing off a body that most would die to have. Naruto stared absently, unaware of his eyes wondering her form. " _So that's what dad would have looked like if he was a woman…..he actually makes a very pretty lady. Eww, gross, gross - get that thought out of my head!"_

"Right, do I know you from somewhere?" She wondered, surprised by this stranger's knowledge.

"N-No, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you, it's just me and Jij- I mean Baa-chan were talking about you. She spoke highly of you." He stated quickly, his answer seeming to satisfy Minami's curiosity for now.

"Oh, okay. That's sweet of her. But you still look very familiar, though." The blonde hummed, her critical eye now scanning the boy's body just as her daughter's did seconds before, though, not as sporadic and far more focused. "...If I didn't know better, I would say you're the spitting image of my husband when he was your age. The only exception is that he had red hair, but your eyes - their spot on. How bizarre."

"His last name _is_ Uzumaki. Maybe it's a family trait," Nami interjected, "but anyway, we have so much to talk about. Come on, let's discuss this stuff in the dining room. Mom made us a late night dinner." She stated with glee as she grabbed Naruto's arm with a vice like grip as she pulls him towards the dining area where 9 bowls of Ramen laid on the table, 7 gathered in front of a single chair (probably Nami's chair) while one rested on either side of the table where, Naruto thought, Minimai and he would sit.

"So, first things first, is your last name really Uzumaki?" Nami wondered as she took her chair right in front of the massive accumulation of ramen bowls, steaming in perfect harmony to create the perfect ramen aroma. Naruto was tempted to hurl himself towards the outer bowls and hopefully wolf them down before Nami could do anything to stop him, but he thought against it.

" _Can't. Steal. Food. Must. Be. A. Good. Guest!"_ he thought, locking his arm down to prevent him from reaching for the steaming bowls that Nami hoards. "Y-Yeah, I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Haven't you heard, Uzumaki's are practically extinct. There're you and half of me, other than that they can't find a single one. My dad was the last full-blooded one." She explained, digging into her waiting bowls like a starved wolf into a dead carcass. Naruto would have said it was disgusting if only he wasn't guilty of doing the same damn thing when he was craving his favorite food, which is practically every day.

"W-Well, I really don't know if I'm full blooded. I'm an orphan, I didn't know my parents." He lied, partially anyway. He figured that Nami and her mother really wouldn't believe him if he tried to explain his whole story to them like he did with Sarutobi. In time, he might explain the whole thing but now was not that time. "All that I was told about myself was that my parents died in a horrible accident and they named me Naruto Uzumaki."

"Awe, you poor baby!" Minami sniffled, knowing all too well the feeling of being a child of the state. "Were you at least given a good home?"

"Not really, I was kicked out of the village's orphanage at the age of 6. Thankfully, an old man gave me a home - he reminds me a lot of Baa-chan, I think that's why I keep trying to call her Jiji. The apartment wasn't anything to sneeze at, but it was the only thing I could call home." He lied once more, though he noticed it was coming a bit more gradually to him that it was a few minutes ago, something he wasn't that proud of. He's never been much of a liar, even when he was in trouble he always took responsibility for is actions (mostly so no one would try and take credit for his "amazing" pranks).

"What type of monster would throw out a 6 year old child?! I hope that person gets what's coming to them!" Nami declared righteously. "Do you know why they kicked you out?"

"N-Nope, not at all. It just happened one day." His facade was beginning to waver as he pulled at his tattered pants nervously under the table. "Trust me, I was just as mad as you were. Well - sadder than anything, but I was still pretty furious."

"This old man, what was his name? He must have been quite the character to be so kind to pay for your apartment. I'd love to meet him someday." Minami smiled, trying to speak about the positive side of Naruto's past rather than dwell on his abandonment from both his parents and the orphanage system like her daughter seemed to be doing. She loved her daughter to death, but there are times where she worries that Nami just doesn't understand social educate and grace.

"His name was Hiruzen, and umm, you can't - h-he's dead," he said with a mix of sadness and relief. With Hiruzen's passing it helped keep the Namikaze family from sniffing around his past all too much but it also means that Naruto had just used one of the most emotional moments in his young life as a well-placed excuse. " _What type of bastard am I?"_ He thought to himself.

"What?! Oh no, I'm so sorry. Here I am, bring up things you probably don't want to be reminded of. I'm so sorry." She pleaded, saddened at the idea that she just couldn't stop bring up his most hated memories. " _What type of host am I?"_ she thought to herself.

"It's alright, really, I was 13 when it happened, I've had time to heal. But enough about me, I'd love to learn more about the people I'm staying with." He said quickly, hoping to shift the attention off him for a moment. "Also, thank you very much for letting me stay here. It means a lot to me,"

"Oh, you're too sweet," she said kindly, dapping her lips with a napkin to clean the broth of her delicious confection from her mouth. "And you don't have to thank us, without you I don't think my little Nami would be here tonight - we both owe you tremendously."

"And without you, I wouldn't be a fully recognized Kunoichi either! Wahoo!" Nami shouted with vigor, running her thumb across the headband so proudly worn on her forehead, prepared to work her heart and soul out to reach her goal, to surpass her mother and father to become the next Hokage.

"Wait, how old are you?" Naruto wondered.

"16 years old, about to turn 17 in a few months." Said Nami simply, still messaging the cool metal of her headband with her thumb.

"It took you until you were 16 to become a genin?!" Naruto asked, shocked and astounded at this realization. Was this version of him even more terrible than he was? How could you fail that many times? " _It must have been embarrassing to be in a class with children 3 years your junior."_ He thought before he brought his attention back to the real world to listen to what Nami had to say for herself.

"Yeah, what's the big deal? We all start at 13 and end usually around 16/17 depending."She said, staring at her guest with a questioning gaze which was mirrored by Minami. "Why is that so weird?"

"Cause…...well, I've never been to a ninja village so I really didn't know how your system works. I never went to school….I learned my techniques on the road….yeah, that's it." He lied again, and with every lie he spoke he felt like he was digging himself a deeper hole in which to bury himself in. "But anyway, enough about that. Can you tell me more about how your school system works?"

" _ **You are terrible at lying."**_ Kurama snickered; Naruto could only imagine that if he did have a physical body he would be flashing his sharp, pearly whites at him for this pathetic display.

" _I can't help it, I'm drowning out here! I've never really lied for this long before,"_ he thought with a sigh.

" _ **Why don't you tell the truth?"**_ He snickered once more, seemingly enjoying his former container's embarrassment.

" _Oh yeah, cause that totally worked out well with Sarutobi. She thought I was crazy, I still think she does."_ His sarcasm was not lost on the gigantic, non-existent, furball that dwelled with the recesses of his mind.

The beast sighed, " _ **Fine, do what you think is right. Either way - I'm getting a good show."**_

" _Real supportive, buddy. Real supportive."_

"Well, it's not that hard to explain," Nami said, tapping her 7th empty bowl of ramen with her chopsticks - wondering if she wanted another, a question that everyone knew the answer too. "Usually, you start the Academy when you're 13. You must take an entrance exam before you're even allowed into the school. It's the basic stuff even a toddler would know like common history, checking your chakra levels, etc. but it helps keep out those who would be wasting the Academy's time. Now, usually Clan kids and the more highly ranked ninja families pass, while a few councilor children and civilian kids barely skate by. After that, there're three stages."

"One is the first year students who learn more advanced history, how to use their chakra, and the simple three techniques required to pass your first year - the Kawarimi no Jutsu, Bunshin no Jutsu, and Henge no Jutsu."

"Next would be the Second year where we focus more on chakra control and what elemental chakra is. At the end of this year, you have to be able to climb a tree with just your feet, walk on water, and at least tap into your elemental chakra."

"And finally, the third year focused solely on two things - elemental chakras and jutsus, with D-ranked missions helping us understand what it meant to take on missions. For our final test, we are given 4 weeks off of school to find and learn an elemental Jutsu and at least be able to perform it in front of the class. Most Clan heads or high-level kunoichi's children had no problem finding a Jutsu or two - and if you didn't have the means to find you a Jutsu, Ikuko and Misuzu would provide one for you."

" _Good god, that is some extensive work. I'm actually kind of jealous, if I had that type of learning system I don't think I would have been the weakling I was for so long back in the day."_ Naruto thought with a pang of envy wiggling its way through his mind. "That's amazing. I had no idea you ninja's went through so much work just to reach the level of Gennin. I bet a Jounin is off the freaking charts in terms of skill."

"Damn straight, just ask my mom! She's the best Jounin you could find in the village." Nami boasted, proud of her mother's standings as a fellow Kunoichi. If anyone deserved praise for her accolades it would have to be Minami Namikaze, or as her enemies call her before they feel the sweet embrace of death, Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash).

"Nami, you know how I feel about you cursing!" She said firmly, her brow furrowing at her daughter's slur. "And I wouldn't go that far, there's very many talented Jounin out there - like Kim or Mighty Gin and Isume is practically a prodigy. Making Jounin at 20 years old."

"True, they're all great, but none of them could hold a candle to the 'Yellow Flash' herself. I mean, come on, you've made not one but two jutsus, one being a solid A ranked Jutsu and the other a strong S. You've also fought in two wars and survived the Kyuubi attack. Who could top that?" Nami said loudly, bringing a bright blush to her mother's face.

"Nami, could you tone it down please, you're making me blush." Minimai said tentatively, "M-My accomplishments are good and all….but can we please talk about something else." Unknown to most, Minimai is terrible at dealing with complements. Something about someone praising you unequivocally makes her feel very odd which makes her burst into a blush and stammered like a mid-year girl at the Academy. Most of her enemies would buckle with laughter at the sight of the famed Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō quivering under such minor praise, which is why it's one of the Namikaze's most treasured secrets. Well, that and it would be embarrassing for people to find out.

"Wait, then how did you fail your final exam, Nami? With a mom like yours and your…..energy, I thought you would have Aced that exam." Naruto chimed in, even more curious about this dimension than ever before. Personally, Naruto thought that he would have done much better in the Academy if he had some familiar structure back at home, he wouldn't have had such a drive to pull pranks and skip classes, or at least that's what he thought at the time.

"...Well, in all honesty, I wasn't the best student in the world. But I still wasn't failing, and I worked my ass off to try and get that stupid jutsu Misuzu gave me to work, but the wording was so confusing and some of the steps contradicted the previous ones." She said, unaware of her mother's furrowed brow at another slur "slipping" into her daughter's conversation. "So, I failed the final test. That's when Misuzu came to me and told me about this other 'secret' test only used for special cases. Turns out, Misuzu purposely gave me a faulty Jutsu - designed to be unusable so she could trick me into giving her that scroll." Nami's features sunk, disheartened at the very idea that she was tricked by such a foolish prospect. A test for special cases, who's ever heard of such a thing? And she should have known it was a lie once she was told to steal from the Hokage. The Hokage would never sanction such a foolish test, especially if it dealt with one of the biggest artifacts in the Hokage's position, but, she thought, hindsight is 20/20.

"I'd wish you would have brought that jutsu scroll to me, I would have told you it was a fake." Her mother said matter-of-factly, the defult tone of any mother.

"I wanted to do it on my own" Nami said bluntly, playing with a few left over noodles that rested at the bottom of the bowl. "I just wanted to know that I could do something like that on my own. Besides, it worked out for the best anyway. Everything turned out alright and I'm now a fully-fledged Genin!" Her tone soon shifted from bummed too thrilled as she brandished her headband with pride, which brought a smirk to her mother's angelic face once more.

"Speaking of which, I believe it's past your bedtime," she said simply, standing from the table to gather the dishes.

"What? I-I haven't had a bed time in years!" Nami said, flabbergasted at her mother's statement, especially in front of their guest. " _I don't want him to think of me as a child!"_ She thought, though, confused on why she even cared what he thought about her.

"You need your rest, you don't want to oversleep and miss team placements now do you?" She questioned sweetly, even though Nami knew far too well that it was more of a statement.

"I would never oversleep," Nami said stubbornly, folding her arms in a childish manner. If she had puffed out her cheeks, she would have reminded Naruto of how he looked every time he was told to apologize to those he brutally prank in his past life, it actually brought a smile to his face.

"Oh really?" Nami nods definitely, "then I guess our new guest would love to hear how you slept in so late that you rushed out the door, completely forgetting to put regular clothes on. She ran outside with nothing but her orange panties and a-." But the mother's story was cut short by her daughter's sudden jump from her chair, breaking the eye contact of both Minami and Naruto.

"Goodnight mom!" Nami yelled, rushing to her room with a fierce blush coloring her cheeks. After her abrupt departure, the two remaining blondes decided it would be best to get some shut eye as well, Naruto electing to sleep on their couch. Grabbing some old sheets and a fluffy throw pillow, Naruto was ready to get some much-needed rest.

"Wait, Naruto," Minami called out, standing in the door frame of her bedroom - dressed in a red see-through nightgown that, for lack of a better word, was not something Naruto was prepared to see. "You don't want to sleep in that, do you? I think I have something that can fit you."

"T-Thank you, Namikaze-san," he said nervously, quickly diverting his eyes from her retreating backside to the linoleum flooring. "I keep forgetting how nasty my clothes are."

"How did the get so mangled, if I may ask? It looks like you've been through a war." She asked as she rummaged through her husband's old dresser, being delicate with his clothes as usual.

" _You have no idea."_ He thought with a knowing chuckle. "I've been traveling a lot - I get into a lot of crazy things. They've just warned out over time." He lied though this time it didn't seem to weigh on him as much as the other one's did. " _I suppose I should just get used to it,"_ He thought before he notice Minami walking his direction, still draped in her see-through negligee. " _Think of something else, think of something else!"_ He wailed in his mind as the image of his gender swapped father now dressed in a sexy red nightgown was burned deep into his memory.

"Oh, okay," she said sweetly, handing him a simple red, sleeveless T with a flannel pair of thin pajama bottoms. "Well, here you go. It's my husband's old pajamas from back in the day - he was a bit of a pack rat." She said with a giggle, remembering all the times she's found old toy's from his younger years still packed in his closet.

"Thank you, it means a lot to me," Naruto said with a smile, trying to keep full, unwavering eye contact with the Namikaze Matriarch so his eyes would not wander south towards her bountiful bosoms.

Minami smiled and turned to leave, only for her to speak once more. "Oh, and one more thing," she said, before pulling the battered boy into a warm, loving hug. It lasted a minute but to Naruto, it felt like a lifetime - it was such a wonderful feeling to be held with such care and tenderness, it was truly a mother's hug. Though, Naruto's cheeks were burning at his proximity to Minami's pink and tantalizing flesh. "Thank you so much for saving my daughter. She's my little baby girl, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I had lost her."

"N-No problem, I just did what needed to be done," he said dumbfounded at the sudden show of affection, but he couldn't say it wasn't welcomed. He always wanted something like this, a sweet and loving hug that wasn't motivated by pity or someone's own agenda, and it meant the world to him to have it.

"No, you did much more." She cooed softly, "Nami told me everything you said - you stood up for my girl, I won't forget that. That's why you'll always be welcome here. This is your home for as long as you need it."

 **-The next Day-**

The morning came rather early for a certain blonde who was now running full speed out of the house, leaving Naruto to his slumber for an extra hour or two before he needed to meet the Third at the hospital. Once he woke, he was given a pair of pants and a red long sleeve shirt from Minami, "You need to be presentable for the Hokage," she said as she let him use the guest bathroom to change and freshen up. Soon, Naruto was off, refreshed and prepared to take this new world head on.

It took him a bit to find the hospital as it seems that even the buildings weren't the same as his dimension. Every street corner was peppered with different buildings that he has never seen before or may of the buildings he did know were moved to different locations. Thankfully, after talking to several store owners and passersby, he found the hospital he was looking for. Now, he remembered his hospital being quite large, enough to fit a good amount of people in it, but compared to this one - his dimension's was a hut made out of mud and sticks. It was so state of the art and the scope of the building outside was so big. 'Gotta thank that Fourth Hokage for that' a passer-by said after Naruto stood there, gawking at the tall structure for a little bit too long for comfort.

Soon, he entered and was quickly whisked away by a male nurse to an empty room where he was greeted by a pretty yet familiar face. "Hello, my name is Katsu Yakushi and I'll be your doctor today. So, what seems to be the problem today?" She asked with a smile. The doctor's hair was a bright white wrapped in a single ponytail in the back while circular glasses hid her sharp onyx eyes behind them. A doctor's lab coat was draped across her figure as under it was a jounin vest and simple shinobi pants, revealing her status as both a doctor and a highly trained ninja. "Tonsillitis? Appendicitis? Prostate check?"

"What?!"

"Haha, relax - relax, it's just a little doctor humor. I didn't mean to scare you." She smiled, a smile that reminded Naruto of someone he used to know, a slimy little snake in the grass. "The Hokage contacted me yesterday, told me all about it. It's just a normal checkup and blood work. It'll be over in five minutes, tops."

"Oh, s-sorry. I'm just not that crazy about hospitals." He chuckled nervously, ushered to the hospital bed that rested in one of the corners by the spectacled doctor.

"Oh, and why's that?" She wondered, gathering her supplies for this basic check up and placing them down next to Naruto on a metallic tray, ready to go to work.

"Bad experiences. 9 times out of 10 I wake up in a hospital room, confused and delirious." He said as she puts the buds of her stethoscope in her ears and brings the circular head to his now bare back, asking him to breath in deeply then slowly out through the mouth and repeat until she tells him to stop.

"Really? What lands you in the hospital so frequently?" She asked, tapping a few of his bruises with her gloved fingers, eliciting a gasp from her patient. "I'm guessing you're a fighter?"

"I guess you could say that." He smiled, "Why exactly is the Hokage asking for all of this to be done, anyway?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask her. Mostly, when you hear your leader give you an order - you don't really ask why." She said as they continued forward with the mundane portion of the physical. She ran through all the basics, reflexes, vision, heart rate, and blood pressure, but now came the final test. Unfortunately for Naruto, the last one was always the most uncomfortable. "Alright, I'm going to have to ask you to drop your pants."

"Haha, very funny. You got me once, shame one me - you can't pull that same trick on me again." He laughed, slipping his arms through his sleeves, prepared to leave soon after.

"I'm dead serious," she said, her usual light-hearted expression turned coldly serious in 3.5 seconds, putting Naruto a little on edge. "Have you never had a physical?"

"Nope, never had the need too. I've been healthy as a horse - well, except for the few times my 'fights' didn't go over so well. But other than that, I've never had a single physical. Why do you ask?" He answered truthfully. Thanks to Kurama he's never really needed a reason to be in the hospital for anything other than chakra exhaustion or deadly sever injuries. So, healthy as a horse was pretty much accurate, though, he has noticed his cuts and bruises from his final fight of his life still seemed to linger a bit longer than in previous battles. " _Maybe it's because of the severity of the battle?"_ He thought.

"Well, after I take your blood pressure, check all your vitals, and your temperature - you usually have to drop your pants and let me…..how do I put this…" she said, a dust of pink crept onto her cheeks. Surprisingly, this one patient's made Katsu blush for the first time in a very long time. Maybe it was his innocence, how unaware he was of what was to come. Other men and women alike that she has done these mandatory physicals on usual know the score. Other's who've witnessed or experienced it first hand would usually pass this knowledge along to the poor unfortunately people who were next, but it seems that no one was kind enough to do so with Naruto. She cleared her throat and pushed her spectacles back onto the bridge of her nose, "check out your package."

"Check my….." He grew deadly silent, staring intently at his doctor with an absent stare - but soon the dusty wheels in his mind began to turn, bringing him to one single question. "What?! What type of sick physical is this?"

"No, no, no. I'm checking for a hernia. It's completely normal." She clarified, her pink cheeks grew into a deeper, rosier red. The volume of his voice echoed through the hospital, alerting many people to his proclamation.

"How is playing with my nuts normal?!" He yelled once more, catching the attention of many passersby who, thankfully, ignored his screams and continued on their merry way.

Quickly she shot from her spot and slammed her office door shut, leaning on it as she turned to see her patients high - strung features. "I'm not playing with them, trust me," She said, lowering her voice to a soothing whisper. "I'm just going to cup them and tell you to cough, it will only take five seconds. I swear," she left her spot at the door and took her set in front of the nervous blonde. They sat in silence for quite some time, Naruto's eyes constantly shifting across the room as to not make eye contact with the beauty before him who just asked him to drop his pants. With a heavy sigh, Naruto slide from the bed and slowly reached for his trousers with a nervous gulp. His blush grew ten shades darker the lower his trousers and boxers dropped. Soon, the boy's pants and underwear were draped across his ankles, leaving his male member fully exposed to the wide open air.

Now Katsu was a respectable doctor so Naruto was very thankful that she kept her thoughts to herself about his exposed man sausage, seeing as this is the first time he's ever shown a female his flesh light he was a bit self-conscious. I suppose you could say it was best he hadn't shown it off too much, cause if Katsu's racy thoughts were anything to go by, he would be beating off every single woman in Konoha with a stick. Her composure was commendable, not every person could be eye level with a healthy, girthy member and keep a straight face, let alone keep her face completely pink free but Katsu rocked it like a champ and continued her job with little to no problems to speak of - at least, that's what she was hoping would happen.

"Katsu-chan, may I com-" The door to Katsu's office sprung open, revealing a tall drink of water with glowing yellow eyes. "Oh, hello! Am I interrupting something?" A voice cried out at the door. Naruto snapped his head towards the newcomer and quickly covered his family jewels with whatever he could find - a pillow would suffice for now. The voice in question was attached to a tall figure with soft, graceful features - features that would seem to be for a much younger teenage girl than a well developed woman such as herself. Her skin-tone was pale but it held a slight glow to it, giving it a more lite - creamy tone. Black markings rested around her eyes like makeup but with a thickness that reminded Naruto a bit of war paint. Her hairstyle of choice was a high ponytail, allowing two locks to frame either sides of her face. She wore a simple black kimono with a high collar and a dark-blue long-sleeved haori over it, which was held closed by a sash and a rope belt, showing off the voluptuous curves only a seasoned woman could have. (If you want a clear image of her, it's Orochimaru in Naruto Gaiden)

"Please darling," She cooed at Naruto's quant attempts to cover his modesty. "It's not the first time I've seen one. If you've lived as long as I have, nudity looses it's charm. Though, I have to say, nice di-"

"Lady Orochimaru - not that I'm always happy to see you, can I ask why you're here?" Katsu asked, a bit miffed at her master's sudden arrival but a faint smile could still be seen etching its way onto her features at her presence.

"I was asked by Lady Hokage to retrieve the results personally, but apparently I've caught you at a bad time. Or good, depending on your preference." Lady Orochimaru smiled, her eyes dancing over the boy's exposed bottom half, though, she was disappointed that she couldn't get the full picture.

"Can you _please_ stop looking at me like that," Naruto begged, at the moment his mind could only picture that sadistic male snake Orochimaru leering at his half naked form, not the obviously attractive female viper that ogled him now.

"Take it as a compliment, dear. Not many bodies have ever caught my eye." To her credit, she wasn't lying. Though she hasn't been trying to look for delicious male bodies, she would be lying if Naruto's hasn't brought out a bit more of a younger, less-renowned, perverse side of her.

"Um, Lady Orochimaru - I think this would go a whole lot faster if you would step outside for a moment." Katsu sighed, hoping that her sensei would listen to her this one time.

"No, it would go faster if our blonde friend here would remove the pillow from his little soldier. But I suppose calling it little would be false advertising." She said, once again running a shiver down Naruto's spine, which brought an even larger smile to her face. Who would have thought she would have such fun with this unknown dimension hopper. Her appearance here was not solely on the Hokage's orders, her curiosity of this new face was too strong to leave it alone - she wished to fill him out herself and from what she can tell, physically he's not half bad. However, Lady Orochimaru is not one to base everything solely on his attractive appearance, so she might need to get him alone in the future to do a _thorough_ inspection of his motives.

Katsu turned to her patient and, with wavering smile, began to speak, "Naruto, could you please-" but her plan was soon dashed by Naruto's abrupt interjection.

"Are you serious?! You talk me into dropping my pants to play with my package and now you want me to let you do it with your creepy friend watching in the corner? What type of hospital is this!?" He questioned once more, holding the pillow tighter to his groan - fearful that her creepy friend could possibly see through cloth and feathers.

"I resent that - is it creepy to admire a human body? I don't think so. Think of it as nothing more than a young, healthy female admiring a man's form." She articulated with words like silver, but her wicked tongue did nothing to ease Naruto's embarrassment. Not just one, but two women have seen Naruto Jr. In the span of 4 minutes, and it's not even lunch time yet!

"You're not helping," Katsu declared through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't be asking you to do this under any other circumstances but….Lady Orochimaru won't budge once she's set her mind on something."

"She's right~." Lady Orochimaru sang, locking eyes with the blonde boy who, right now, was at a loss for words.

"So let's just get this over with."

Naruto, now thoroughly red, let out a bitter sigh. "...Fine," he said, his cheeks burning with color as the pillow slipped from his grip, revealing his meat slab to the public eye. He looked to the medicine cabinet just to make sure he wouldn't possibly make eye contact with the perverse snake. "But can you tell her to keep her comments to herself?"

"She will, right Lady Orochimaru?" Katsu asked firmly, making sure there was little room for interpretation or misunderstandings with her teacher's behavior.

"I suppose I could keep quiet for a little bit - since you asked so nicely, Katsu-chan." Lady Orochimaru sighed, " _Such a pity,"_ she thought, her arms folded under her bust, " _I had far more quips to say."_

"Alright," slipping on a fresh pair of blue gloves, Katsu continued the physical without any further delays. Soon the job was done, Naruto pulled his pants back up - making sure to aim his toned butt away from Lady Orochimaru, and they were preparing for the final portion of this whole thing, the blood work. "See, it wasn't so bad was it?" Katsu asked, preparing her needle.

"I enjoyed it." Lady Orochimaru snickered, slipping her forked tongue from her mouth to moisten her lips.

"I'm never going to get a physical ever again." Naruto shivered as he presented his forearm to his doctor, hoping to get this done as soon as possible. Katsu took three samples of his blood and Orochimaru generously offered to take them down to the labs with the other notes and, to Naruto'sgraditude, Katsu agreed. Lady Orochimaru took her leave, leaving both Katsu and Naruto alone.

"I'm sorry about Lady Orochimaru, she can get like that sometimes." Katsu groaned, placing many of her medical supplies back in their proper place while Naruto, still not in the best of moods, leaned against the frame of the office door, looking out into the hallway with a thousand-yard stare. "She's really nice, I swear. It's just….she's never really knows how to act around new people."

Naruto remained silent, his mind still racked with the unrelenting stare of Katsu's eerie sensei. Though Lady Orochimaru is a far cry away from Lord Orochimaru, she still knows how to send an uncomfortable chill down his spine. He couldn't help but replay the words she'd spoken about his….tool and blush at the mere thought of it all. "What do you mean?" He finally asked, hoping to find something else to keep his mind of what just happened.

"Well, to her followers, she is kind and generous. To me; she's fun and playful but can be stern when she needs to be. However, with new people, I don't know. She just messes with them, I can't put my finger on why she does it, though. I've never seen her act the way she did with you, though - that was new," She explained, placing the final role of medical tape away in her draw. "Maybe you've brought out a whole new side of Lady Orochimaru we've never seen before."

"Let's hope not," he said, as a thought came to his mind. " _The only person I know who would be that forward with someone she barely knew was Anko. Mostly because she got some sick enjoyment out of embarrassing people."_ "You have a lot of respect for her, don't you?" He said, remembering how formal Katsu was with Orochimaru and how respectful she was in her presence.

"Of course I do, she taught me everything I know. And the sacrifice she's making for this village, I couldn't have anything but respect for her." Said Katsu, a noticeable flutter in her tone. If anyone even knew the name of Katsu you would know she is devoted, utterly so, to Lady Orochimaru and her cause and nothing could ever shake her resolve.

"Sacrifice?" He wondered, turning to face his white-haired doctor.

"You don't know?" She asked getting a shake from Naruto. "She's given up her aging to live forever and protect Konoha. She's practically learned every jutsu Konoha has to offer, in a few more years she might be stronger than even the Hokage. All of this to protect our village." She answered, giving the blonde a much more played down version of the extensive process of Lady Orochimaru's mortality.

" _So many things have changed, I'm actually surprised that I keep getting surprised."_ Naruto thought as he bit back a sly remark which dealt with his previous Orochimaru. "So, Lady Orochimaru….is a selfless hero?"

"You better believe it. From orphan to the ageless hero of Konoha, pretty impressive right?" She stated with a sparkle in her eye as she seemed ready to boast Lady Orochimaru's praise from the rooftop. "And to think, she picked me out of countless others to be her apprentice. Who would have thought."

" _Wait…...the white hair, the circle glasses…..Kabuto?! Holy fuck…..why are guys making pretty girls? That's just weird!?"_ Most people would think that Naruto would be used to such realizations by now, but unfortunately, it's still very, VERY odd to see friends and even a few enemies as incredibly attractive females. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, keeping his thoughts on the sexy doctor deep in his subconscious where it belonged. **" _Just remember, you think Kabuto is sexy. REMEMBER_** _ **THAT**!"_ The Bijuu holwed, Naruto's empty mindscape echoing with the sound of Kurama's laughter.

"For the longest time, Lady Orochimaru didn't wish to take anyone under her wing. She will be living for quite some time and she has learned it would be best to try and not form attachments. But, one day when I came to her - weeks after my parent's funeral, she offered me an apprenticeship. She said she saw a lot of potential in me, and I've pushed myself every day to make sure the potential she saw in me never went to waste." She said proudly from her office.

" _I thought Kabuto wasn't born from here?"_ He thought. "So you're a born here and your family followed behind Orochimaru?"

"Oh no, my family and I were wanderers after the war took our home," she said absentmindedly, unfazed by her proclamation. Being a simple wanderer for a part of her childhood never bothered her as much as it did others, she actually enjoyed it. Many different sights and sounds, though, losing her home did put a damper on some of it, but most of her family's adventures through the elemental nations easied some of the pain."Thankfully, Konoha allowed us to take refuge in their village. We soon gravitated towards Lady Orochimaru, we felt at peace under her watchful gaze - unfortunately, my family was killed during a mission that went horribly wrong. That's when I really started to focus on my skills as a medical-nin, I wanted to make my parents proud - they always said that their daughter could become the next Tsubasa Senju. Lady Orochimaru saw it too." She said, finishing up her round up supplies and made her way out into the hall.

"I'm sorry for your lose," he said, moving from his spot in the door frame so the doctor could shut her office.

"It's alright, it happened so long ago," She said, slipping a key from her coat pocket, lock her office, and place it back once more.

"So, you were the only apprentice ever to be trained under Lady Orochimaru?" He asked, hoping to switch the mournful subject that he accidently brought up. It brought a small smile to his features as he thought how funny it was that Orochimaru was something he would bring up to _avoid_ something like this. What strange times he lives in.

Her simple smile left her painted lips for a fraction of a second, if you blind you would have missed it. She pressed her glasses back onto the ridge of her nose, "yes, the only one." Her smile soon returned as she released the knob of her office door and turned to the blonde with a question dancing in her eyes. "Well, the tests won't be done for about an hour or two and you were my last patient before my break. Do you want to grab something to eat? My treat."

"I didn't have breakfast, so...sure, why not. Got any place in mind?" He asked, but he was already sold on the lunch date thanks to Katsu's generosity.

"Come on, I'll show you. It's my favorite joint in the village."

 **-Akimichi Barbeque-**

"Akimichi Barbeque, hmm? I wouldn't peg you as a barbecue fan." He said, staring at the carved Kenji of the "Akimichi" that hung high on the building's archway. Once again, another well-known building of Naruto's dimension is swapped for a better and bigger version. The building was massive, housing thousands of seats for people to choose from and the kitchen, that was the biggest part of this joint. Countless chefs and waiters/waitresses zoomed through the building, delivering orders with speeds an Akimichi was never supposed to reach.

"It's my guilty pleasure," Katsu said with a smile as she walked through the dining area looking for a spot to seat. The place was packed especially at lunch time. But, thankfully, the found a table and was swarmed by a robust waiter almost immediately who carried two menu's for the couple to pursue. As the two read over their menus, Naruto notices a group of people in the corner booth sporting some very similar hairstyles. Seconds later, almost like clockwork, the same round waiter appeared, sporting a pen and pad.

"Are you two ready to order?" He questioned, a curious smile brandished on his face.

"Yes, I'll have the Akimichi special and a glass of water." Katsu said without delay, this wasn't her guilty pleasure for nothing.

"And for you, sir?" The Akimichi waiter turned to the blonde who's eyes were still transfixed on the familiar hairstyles that sat feet from him. "Sir?" He asked once more, catching Naruto's attention.

"Oh, um, yeah what she's having, I guess," He said absentmindedly, handing off his menu along with Katsu, unwilling to peel his eyes off of the four manned booth mere feet from him.

Katsu notices his distraction and turned to follow his gaze, "do you know those girls?"

"Hmmm? Oh, no I don't. It's just, they look familiar." He said, "Do you know who they are by any chance?"

"Well, if I had to guess, that would be one of the new genin teams. They just had team placements today," She said as she peered past her booth into theirs with a critical eye. "The blonde on the left I think is Inoichi Yamanaka - the first male Yamanaka set to take over the Yamanaka clan. Next to her is Chiyo Akimichi - daughter of this establishment's owner and the one next to her is Shiomi Nara - recorded to be one of the most laziest Nara in the history of the Academy. I'm guessing the final one is their sensei - oh, I'm surprised to see Asumi Sarutobi was talked into being a sensei this year." As Katsu began to list off their names one by one, Naruto's eyes scanned the group to find any likenesses to his male counterparts back home.

The first Katsu listed off, Inoichi Yamanaka, was the spitting image of a younger Inoichi, the deceased leader of the Yamanaka clan back in his world. Inoichi had long ash blond hair that reached his back, which he seemed to spiky on top and ending in a long ponytail. He had strong blue-green eyes and even stronger facial features, which included a well-defined jaw line. Next to him was a rather fetching woman who Naruto couldn't believe was the female version of Choji. With a long, spiky mane of brown hair, Chiyo Akimichi is what most would call a full woman with some curves. Thanks to her families interesting ability to transform calories into chakra, most Akamichi's pride themselves in their weight, but it seems that Chiyo's weight didn't manifest too much in her stomach, thighs, or arms. The majority was sectioned off in her bountiful bust and ASSets, but even though most of it was placed in those two spots, she still wasn't what most would consider "thin". Her body held some heft to it, but it was transferred through her body in just the right way to give her a little warmth and curves. Her cheeks carried the signature swirls Naruto has come to know about the Akimichi, and her lively and sweet eyes still shined with the innocence of his favorite gorging buddy.

On the other side of the table was the two people Naruto was more than happy to see. Shikamaru Nara's laid back stare seemed to be a Nara trait because Shiomi carried it like a pro. Under her hanging eyelashes were an ocean of chocolate brown. Her hair was done up in a high pony-tail that spiked like the head of a pineapple. Her face was soft with the very distinct hue of blush powdered on her cheeks. Apparently, this Nara wasn't so deterred by the concept of make-up.

Finally was the chain-smoking Jounin himself, or rather, herself. Asumi Sarutobi didn't seem too different from her male counterpart, her tom-boy slouch and a cigarette dangling from her lips was a practical point for point remake of Asuma's. She was a tall woman, with brown eyes, olive skin, and short black spiky hair, but, thankfully, the beard was absent from her beautiful features. Her clothing consisted of the standard Konoha ninja uniform with the sleeves rolled up half way, flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals and forehead protector. She also wore a sash that had the kanji for "Fire" (火) marked on it around her waist, a pair of black bangles, and bandages wrapped around the arms of her sleeves.

" _Another set of men turned into women. Wait, Ino is a male in this world. So, does that mean that….maybe not everyone is a woman?"_ He thought to himself as he gave the group one more look. "Wow, you really know your stuff. How do you know all this?"

"I like to be informed. An ignorant Kunoichi is a dead Kunoichi." She said, proud of her encyclopedic knowledge of many, MANY things in the borders of Konoha, and a few things beyond the borders as wel.

"Hey, I was wondering, why did you ask me out to eat?" He asked, breaking himself from his girl scoping to ask a question he's had on his mind the moment the left the hospital. "I'm guessing you don't do this with every patient you fondle up."

She laughed, muffling its loudness with her palm. "Well, the Hokage didn't tell me much about you except that you were new to the village, and I know from experience how it feels to be the new person on the block. It's practically overwhelming at first, all these new faces, new buildings - it can get pretty paralyzing. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is - I want to put you at ease about this village and also to say that if you need anyone to talk to, anyone at all, just find me. Alright?"

He smiled at her hospitality, "alright, thank you." As their food arrived, a silence returned to the group as they dug into the perfectly cooked barbecue pork. Though the silence was welcomed, another questioned picked at Naruto's mind. He wiped his face clean of the sauce and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, do you know any more about those girls over there?"

"Why, do you have a crush on them?" She smirked.

"N-No, I would just like to know more about the people in Konoha, that's all - and who's better to ask than you, seeing as you know everything there is to know about this place." He said without delay, hoping to put to rest that silly joke. The shock of gender bent men and women is still fresh in his mind and even considering dating or crushing on them was something he couldn't bare at this moment in time.

"I wouldn't say that…..but it doesn't hurt to be knowledgeable." She said with a nod. "Alright, for starters - Inoichi is rumored to be the co-creator of the "Uchiha girls fan club". A 12 member group who follow around and practically harass three members of the Uchiha clan - Sasuki, Isume, and Shizue Uchiha. It's creepy and it gives a bad name to the Shinobi of this village - at least that's my belief. He was an average student but an average student is a failing student in the eyes of the Academy. He was far to focused on the Uchiha trio to make any decent headway. Basically, he skidded out of the Academy by the skin of his teeth. Next is Chiyo, a strong member of the Akimichi clan but is a bit down on herself, especially her physical appearance - which is odd, seeing as practically her whole clan's fighting style is based on their size. But even though she seems to have some body image problems, she is the sweetest person you will ever meet….well, except when you mention her….. s-she hates people talking about her…..ummm, well you know what I mean - I've seen several people in our E.R. for discussing her...ASSets and bust." She said, emphasizing the ass in assets.

"You really are chalk full of information." He said with a smirk, some things change and other's stay the same, that's all he could really ask for.

"I try," She said with a cocky smirk, her sarcasm dripping from her words. "The other two are pretty easy to explain. The Nara is just like her mother, lazy to the very end - but what she lacks in vigor or energy she makes up for in her massive intellect. I've heard that Shiomi purposely lowers her grades and if you've ever played Shiogi with her, you would know she wasn't stupid. And finally, we come to Asumi - the only daughter of the Third Hokage. She's known for her close range style of fighting and using her two trench knives like brass knuckles. From what I've heard she's very laid back, making sure not to bother herself with things she doesn't have to do. She's also a chain smoker and is great friends with another reported sensei, Kuro Yuhi."

"Thank you, who knew I would come out of this lunch learning some new things and new people." He said as the knowledge of his old friend's attitude's seemed well intact was tucked away in his mind.

"I aim to please," she giggled, "fun fact, though - Asumi and Kuro have been rumored to be dating."

"Really?" He questioned, which she nodded too. "I didn't know you were a gossip too, Katsu."

"Hey, gossip can also be information too, especially if it's true." She laughed lightly.

"Well, is it?" He wondered though he was very much aware of the answer.

"I don't know. Personally - I don't think so, Kuro isn't the settling type." Katsu whispered softly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, to put it bluntly, Kuro's a bit of a player. He's slept around with so many girls I'm surprised if he could keep track of them. Asumi seems to be more of the 'serious relationship' type of girl, something Kuro doesn't seem to keen on doing." She stated as she tapped her pointer finger to her chin in thought. She scowered her memory to recall all of the gossips she's been hearing about the two and she couldn't help but think that their relationship couldn't last if they've even started one to begin with.

"Damn," Naruto said, genuinely saddened by the news he was just given. Even though these aren't the same people as they were in his world, he still couldn't shake the fact that Asuma and Kurenai were _the_ power couple and he was hoping he could possibly keep it that way this time. " _I guess hoping that everyone would act the same was a bit too ambitious."_

They continued onward with their lunch, making small talk and laughing at each other's jokes - a few onlookers could and did mistake the two as a budding couple on their first date, but that couldn't have been furthest from the truth - or could it? Who knows, the seed of romance cannot be grown within hours, it takes time and effort. After they finished their meals the check arrived and Katsu paid for it, though it was mortifying to say the least for Naruto. He knew the rule, if you go out with a lady the male is suppose to pay for the meal, but unfortunately the gods forgot to transfer him to this world with his trusty frog wallet so - technically he was flat broke. After the bill was paid and they walked each other out they both went their separate ways, leaving Naruto to his own devices.

 **-Training Ground 7-**

Naruto arrived quickly at his old stomping grounds to finally take advantage of his complete lack of supervision. It was time to discuss a few things with Kurama and he decided this would be the best place to do it. He took a seat in front of one of the three pillars that jutted out of the training ground's dirt, supporting his back as he crosses his legs and begins to meditate - something he's become quite fond of after learning his Sage technique.

"Kurama, it's time we talk." He said, standing within his empty mindscape - awaiting his friend's booming voice. "This will probably be one of the few chance we get for a while."

" **You're right, this will only get crazier as time goes on."** Kurama said as his voice came into being above Naruto's head. " **Now, let's start from where we last stopped. The reason I cannot be seen - only heard."**

"You said it had something to do with the world not being able to handle more than one Kyuubi." Said Naruto.

" **Yes, there can only be one set of Bijuu's at once in a single dimension. Our presence is so powerful it puts a strain on the dimension, that's why it takes all of us to create the Juubi, a being that can manipulate time, space, and dimensions. With one more Bijuu's physical presence in another world - many unexplained phenomena could happen. Holes ripped in time, other dimensions falling in on themselves, and quite possibly - complete and udder dimensional restart."** He explained as Naruto sat there, dumbfounded by the truth presented to him. 9 beings of raw, uncontrollable power in a single dimension is hard enough to truly keep under control, but adding another to the mix could do untold damage to all the dimensions in general.

"Dimensional restart? What the hell is that?" He asked, trying to tackle one question at a time.

" **It's where each individual dimension is wiped out, cleaning the slate for others to form. They fold in on one another to create a single dimension. This is what you would call "Dimension 1", which is where every single dimension is formed."** He stated without fail **.**

"How do you know this? I wouldn't think you would have this first hand knowledge just rattling around in your head. No offense," Naruto smirked as the fox spirit's growl echoed through the mindscape.

 **"I was informed of the rules and regulations of these dimensions by the gods. While you were busy being reborn, I was being informed on how this all came to be."** The fox explained as another questioned crossed the blonde's mind.

"But wait, don't you remember that time we were transported to that backwards world. We fought my emo self, Menma - he had a Kyuubi inside him too, but the world didn't implode." He said.

" **That was a powerful Genjutsu, Naruto. This is nothing like that world."** He clarified with a sigh. A part of him truly hated having to explain such a crucial part of this jump from one dimension to another but if he didn't, no one would. " **This world might be similar in scope to that backwards world, but that Uchiha has nothing on this world. It is organic, real, and above all else, no one is forced against their will to live in it."**

"So, you're not physically here but your chakra and spirit is?" He clarified, making 100% sure he had the base concept nailed down.

" **Yes, basically."** He said simply.

"Cool, so I have an unlimited pool of chakra waiting to be used?" He asked again.

" **Well, yes and no. Yes in the sense that you do have a replenishing pool of my chakra but no in the sense that you don't know how to use it properly."** He mumbled, sounding tired of this constant back and forth.

"What are you talking about? I used the Nine-Tails Chakra mode hundreds of times." He said.

" **Yes, with my help. I allowed you to tap into my power and I helped regulate it through your body so you wouldn't hurt yourself or turn into a mindless Youkai beast like before. I'd say you controlled about 20% of my chakra. The rest I held in check for you."** The furry mammal explained, which didn't seem to sit well with his fleshy partner.

"What?!" He yelled, standing from his spot to stare into the vast emptiness that was his mindscape now. "So I barely even controlled my own technique?"

" **Of course not, back then you would have lost your mind with such raw power at your disposal. Now, though - after I saw how you handled my father's power, I might have misjudged your abilities. Either way, I'll see if you can truly control my power along with your Six Path power boost."** Kurama said, honestly surprised at the boy's handling of half of his father's massive pool of power.

"Power Boost?" Naruto said, staring at his hands. "What power boost?"

" **I suppose you haven't noticed, but I can't really blame you - you've been focused on other things. Have you not noticed how strong you've become? Your base form has become much more powerful than it was thanks to my father's gifts. Your senses are heightened, your muscles are stronger, and your techniques are much more potent. If I must rate you by a foolish scale, I would place you next to a Hokage in your base form. My father's level in your Sage form, and beyond Kaguya in Nine-Tails mode."** And with the knowledge of Naruto's power and how, comparatively, he is one of the strongest beings on planet earth right now, he promptly smiled one of the toothiest grins he's ever conceived.

"You really think so? I don't feel different." He said as a balled up his fist until his knuckles turned white. Was this what a Kage felt? Naruto didn't really know what to expect from such strength, maybe a muscle boost or something, but no, he was the same old Naruto with an unstoppable pool of power within him.

" **Of course not, while you fought Kaguya your body adapted to it. It feels natural, but you will tell once you fight someone far weaker than Kaguya, trust me. But only if you train once again to regain a full understanding of your new strength. You've been given new power and all the burdens that come with it."** Kurama demanded, his stern voice showed he meant what he said.

"I can't wait to test it out!" Naruto squealed with unbridled joy, like a child one when he came down for Christmas and found out every Christmas present under the puffy white tree was all for him. With such power, Naruto can truly make a difference, no one, not even Madara and Kaguya herself could stop him from carving a pathway to peace and a new world.

" **Before you go off and find some poor bastard to demolish you might want to at least practice first. You know, so you don't murder them."** Kurama chuckled weakly at the boy's enthusiasm, it truly was infectious, one of the few positive sides to having him as one of Kurama's containers through the years.

"Really? You think I'm that strong?" He wondered, gazing at his hands like they were about to catch fire.

" **You were able to hurt a goddess with your fists, you beat a reborn Juubi container into the dirt, and you were the driving force of a war. So yes, I would go out on a limb and say you're pretty strong."** Sarcasm was something Kurama was well versed in though he did bring up some good points. " **And also, so I don't need to repeat myself. Under no circumstance are you allowed to use my Nine-Tails mode without thoroughly training with it first."** As with many moments in Naruto's life, someone had to bring him back down to reality.

"Why not?" He asked quickly.

" **Have you not heard a word I said? Because it's dangerous, that's why! Without the proper training in using it you could succumb to the power it possesses, you could go on a rampage through the village, you could kill millions without even knowing you did it. So, let me make this very clear. DO. NOT. USE. MY. POWERS. WITHOUT. MASTERING. THEM. FIRST! GOT IT?"** Kurama roared, rattling Naruto's eardrums like a bunch of dried beans in a Maraca.

"Crystal." Said Naruto.

" **Good. Now, let's start your training. It's as good a time as any to show you the basics. Now, close your eyes."** Kurama said, Naruto followed his orders without delay, taking up a meditative stance. " **It's just like tapping into your chakra as a child. You must concentrate, dig deep within yourself and find the warmth of your chakra - but this time, it's not just warmth, it's a burning inferno."** As the fox spoke of the inferno, it appeared. Gentle at first, but grew into a beast of flames that licked at the air before it, waiting to taste the flesh of its new wielder. " **And just like an inferno, if you allow it to go unchecked, you could be burned. You must take hold of it, focus your energy on keeping it in check - it is your power now you must control it!-"**

"Naruto Uzumaki," A voice cut through his thoughts, the inferno lost. He turned to see the sky was littered with stars and the moon was full in the sky, he had meditated for longer than he thought. The voice calling for him was an ANBU, the same one who helped him to the Namikaze residence. "By orders of the Hokage, I am to bring you to her; by force if necessary."

"No, no force is necessary, I'll come quietly." He said nervously. The ANBU snatched him up onto his feet before the two blurred from existence, leaving only leafs and a gust of wind.

 **-Hokage's Office-**

"Now, are you 100% sure on this, I don't want any mistakes?" The Hokage asked, holding a manila envelope before her as the contents of said envelope was splayed across her table, the physical and blood work of one Naruto Uzumaki.

"We've run it three times, sensei - the numbers add up. This man is a point for point replica of Nami! Right down to the blood pressure, lung capacity, and blood type." Lady Orochimaru, as baffled by this turn of events as her sensei was, said as she peered over Sarutobi's shoulder.

"...So, what he said was true. He really is from another dimension and he's Nami's male counterpart." Sarutobi slipped her pipe between her lips and nibbled on the tip of the opening in thought.

"I wouldn't go that far, sensei - there could be another explanation for this." Lady Orochimaru said, even though her tone wasn't all that confident in her statement.

"Name one." Her sensei turned to her, prepared to see her explain this phenomenon in rational terms.

"...Well, umm, you know - he might be….umm, her biological long lost twin, maybe?" Lady Orochimaru said, her eyes dancing across the room but strangely never landed on her sensei.

A small smile graced Sarutobi's aging features, "unless I missed another baby being born during Minami's labor, I highly doubt it." But soon, her smile left as the seriousness of the situation returned. "Trust me Orochimaru, this is just as outrageous to me as it is you. But I think it's time that we face facts, this boy might sound crazy but he's telling the truth."

"Of course I am," Naruto said, appearing with his stoic ANBU tag along from the Shunshin no Jutsu. "and I resent that, it might sound odd that I'm from another dimension, but that doesn't make me - …..scratch that, looking back on it - yeah, I might have sounded crazy."

"So, you were telling the truth. My student ran your test against a recent physical of Nami Namikaze. You and she are the exact same person." She said as she pushed the evidence towards the boy who looked over it with a knowing smile. Naruto's eyes, however, were not the only ones that scanned the blood work and doctor's notes - the ANBU that mere minutes ago transferred Naruto here was now peeking over his shoulders to see what all of this was about. Her scarlet eyes widened ever so slightly at this new information before she slipped back into the shadows. "I just have one question for you, Naruto. What exactly do you want?"

"I told you before, I want to protect this dimension from the hardships that fell onto mine. With my knowledge of the future, I might just stop a war, an invasion, and many unneeded deaths." He said with confidence as he dropped into one of the vacant seats in front of the Hokage's office desk. "You've seen what my past holds, so please - let me help you and your village steer clear of that."

Silence followed his statement as the aging Hokage stared at him, unblinking and unwavering. She slipped her pipe from her lips as the smoke billowed from her like a chimney, "...Alright, I believe you."

"Sensei, I-" Lady Orochimaru spoke up, but, almost as if she expected it, Sarutobi silenced her.

"Orochimaru, I know you have the village's best interest at heart, but after this unweaving evidence to the contrary…..I can't pretend like this is all some joke. Not after what I saw." She said sternly, peering over her shoulder towards her fateful student.

"What did you see? I don't understand - what could this boy have shown you that you would believe him so quickly." Orochimaru asked, trying to keep her composer. Even though she had a good amount of fun with the boy earlier, it doesn't change the fact that this boy is an unknown entity, and she wasn't willing to bet on unknowns in this day and age.

"Let me see your hand." He extends his hand once again, Orochimaru holding the same questioning gaze as her sensei did a day ago. "You want to see what I'm talking about? Then take my hand," Orochimaru looked to her sensei who nodded for her to trust him. Lady Orochimaru reluctantly did what she was told to do and was whisked into the darkness as her sensei did one night prior. She was shown the visions of Naruto's past and sadly, their future. She noticed her male counterpart and how evil he seemed, how devilish he acted, and ultimately, how cold-hearted he was towards her sensei. She felt devastated but also a bit of deja vu as the betrayal of a student is something she is all too familiar with.

The darkness faded, bring her back to the real world. She looked to both the blonde and Sarutobi, both carrying a tender smile and a nod - she finally understood. "W-What was that?"

"My past, and hopefully - a future you will never see again." He said wisely, one of the few poetic moments has ever had in his life. "I know this is a lot to take in, but I'm an ally here, I want to protect you all - even you, Lady Orochimaru. I'm guessing you also saw your other self in my memories."

"Y-Yes, he seemed like an evil, vindictive man." She said somberly, still dealing with the effects of….whatever the hell that thing was. "I-I'm nothing like him." The man that she saw, he was a monster, a full blooded beast that did whatever he wanted to get what he wanted. She couldn't wish to be anyone else less than she does right now.

"I can tell - the moment I saw you, I could tell." He said with a smile, "you are fun, playful, and a bit perverse while my Orochimaru - he was a bastard, a cold hearted snake who did whatever he wanted to. He took away my friend with promises of power only to try and take his body for his own sadistic purposes…..but you're different."

"Perverse?" Sarutobi voiced, looking once again to her student who, surprisingly, was sporting a small blush.

"Oh, did your student not tell you about her little peep show she got this afternoon?" Naruto asked with an all too pleased with himself smirk.

"Orochimaru, what is he talking about." Lady Hokage asked as her student played it off in what she hoped would be a smooth way. It was not.

"W-W-We should really be focusing on the task at hand, remember? A new dimension, save the village, end conflicts before they begin." She said quickly, hoping her blush would go unnoticed by the blonde and her sensei. The calm and well put together Lady Orochimaru _blushing_ practically unheard of.

"Very well, but I would like a full explanation _after_ our little meeting is done." Sarutobi demanded, getting a curt nod from Lady Orochimaru. "Now, how would you suggest we start ending these conflicts before they can begin?"

"Hmm, I don't know really - I didn't think I'd get this far with you guys." Sarutobi falls forward, smashing her face into her desk as she was completely caught off guard by Naruto's stupidity. "I guess one of the biggest conflicts I can think of is the Chunin exams. At least in terms of property damage and death toll. Originally, Orochimaru approaches Suna with a plan to invade us during the exams, when they accept - he then kills the Fourth Kazekage and wears his skin. Then, during the final portion of the exam, Orochimaru springs his trap, capturing you and him in an impenetrable barrier seal and you give your life to stop him."

"Well, seeing as our Orochimaru _clearly_ isn't like your own, I don't see what the problem is." Said lady Hokage as she begins to write down the details of Naruto's explanation for future purposes.

"I know, I just wanted you to be aware and we still might want to put some precautions down before we just toss it off as if it would never happen. Back in my dimension, Orochimaru wasn't the only person who hated Konoha and I'm guessing that's the same in this dimension too." He said without a second thought. If he was going to properly set this world up for the success it deserves he must account for everything, and he means _everything_ , even if it makes him seem a bit too paranoid.

"Fair enough. We'll discuss this more when the time comes, now is there any more recent ones that will be arriving soon?" She asked. Naruto tapped his chin in thought of all the past hurdles he and his village had to jump over.

"What is your policy on new ninjas wishing to join your ranks?" He asked.

"We have a screening first to see if they are who they say the are and if they're a threat to Konoha's safety - then we assess their abilities through a test with one of our Jounins to determine their ranking. Why do you ask?" She wondered.

"Well, for two reasons. One is because, in a month or so, they'll be a bridge builder who comes here and asks for a few bodyguards to protect him while he builds. During this mission, I came across two people who died and I believe they might make a pretty good team in the Konoha ranks." He said.

"And who might these two be?" She wondered, taking another drag from her pipe.

"In my world they were named Zabuza Momochi and Haku."

"Did you say Momochi? That's the last name of the Demon in the Mist herself, Sayumi Momochi. You couldn't mean her, could you?" She wondered in amazement.

"I believe so. If I'm going by the rule of thumb that I've set so far, that should be him." He said with a light chuckle, he might even be getting the hang of this whole gender swap routine.

"You can't be serious, You believe you can talk a living mist swordsmen member into joining our ranks? Have you heard the stories of the Demon in the Mist?" Lady Orochimaru questioned, highly skeptical of the boy's plan. From what she's heard, Sayumi is one of the hardest headed female swordsmen you will ever meet. She only understands two things, violence, and money, if you don't have either - you are nothing to her but an annoyance.

"Heard of them? I was face to face with that 'Demon in the Mist'. I fought against him - back when he was him. He was strong, fearless, and the meanest man you could ever meet but I could tell that wasn't everything about him. After Haku's death, I saw the Demon in the Mist cry for the first time before he killed every last bandit with just a kunai gripped in his teeth. I will make damn sure Haku and Sayumi live past this mission this time - and I'd like them to have a spot in Konoha went I bring them back." Naruto's expression turned sour the moment he recalled his first C-ranked mission's rather brutal ending.

"If you can get them to come here and ask me personally to join, I'll give them headbands on the spot - you have my word." She insured him, though skeptical of his results. "what was the other reason you asked?"

"...Well, I was hoping. Since you trust me and all, that you might give me a chance to join your ranking." He said timidly.

"That makes sense, I suppose. You wouldn't be much help to us if you couldn't be out on the front lines, correct?" She said with a nod.

"My thoughts exactly, but I also wanted to go through the proper channels and seeing as the genin test has already come and gone I was wondering how else I could become a shinobi." He smiled, happy she seemed to be growing to understand him.

"Well, after today I think your screening has been thoroughly taken care of." She said, tapping the base of her pipe to her chin in thought. "so that only leaves the testing of your skills. I guess we could probably ask As-"

"Actually, if I may. Can I pick the person to administer the test?" He asked, getting a cocked brow from the Hokage.

"I don't see why not. We'll get the results either way," She said, pulling from a door two pieces of paper, each holding several rows of pictures with names scribbled under them. "These are all the active duty Jounin. Choose, and I'll set up an appointment with them tomorrow."

"Kiminari Hatake, she'll do perfectly." He said with a knowing snicker.

"Are you sure?" He nods vigorously, "alright, as you wish. I'll set up our appointment at 6 o'clock a.m. tomorrow, meaning she'll be there at around 8 in the morning. See you then Naruto-san."

"What type of mess have we gotten ourselves into, sensei?" Lady Orochimaru sighed as she watched the blond retreat into the hall.

"One that will get stranger and stranger as time goes on."

 **Thank you all for your patients, I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to write a review or PM me if you have any questions.**

 **Also, I have created the list of most of the major gender bends in this story, if I add any more I will update it in anothe end notes:**

Naruto Uzumaki - Nami Uzumaki

Sasuke Uchiha - Sasuki Uchiha (A.K.A Suki by her sister)

Sakura Haruno - Saburo Haruno

Shino Aburame - Shinako Aburame (Shina for short)

Shikamaru Nara - Shiomi Nara

Choji Akimichi - Chiyo Akimichi

Ino Yamanaka - Inoichi Yamanaka

Hinata Hyuuga - Han Hyuuga

Neji Hyuuga - Nijie Hyuuga

Tenten - Takeshi

Rock Lee - Rock Leiko (A.K.A. Rock Lei)

Sai Shimura - Seiko Shimura

Danzo Shimura - Dai Shimura

Hiruzen Sarutobi - Hiroko Sarutobi

Tsunade Senju - Tsubasa Senju

Shizune - Shiro

Orochimaru - Lady Orochimaru

Kabuto Yakushi - Katsu Yakushi

Jiraya - Jin

Kakashi Hatake - Kiminari Hatake (A.K.A Kim by friends and students)

Itachi Uchiha - Isume Uchiha

Shisui Uchiha - Shizue Uchiha

Kurenai - Kuro

Anko - Ao

Asuma - Asumi

Mighty Gai - Gin (A.K.A Mighty Gin)

Iruka Umino - Ikuko

Mizuki - Misuzu

Yamato - Yoko

Kushina Uzumaki - Kukahiko Uzumaki

Minato Namikaze - Minami Namikaze

Onoki - Ochi

Ay - Ai

Yagura - Yasumi


	3. Author's Note: Hiatus

Hello,

It is with a heavy heart that I must take an undisclosed amount of time off from fanfiction. I've been wondering if I should do this for quite some time actually, as many of you have noticed because of my lackluster updating schedule, but I have been burnt out on writing for a while now, it's sadly become, at times, a chore to slog through but I continued because there are hundreds of people who really like my stories and I wanted to give back to them. It has nothing to do with high demand or anything like that, I've just been trying my hardest to create quality content for those who have been gracious enough to review, favorite, and follow my stories - and before I continue I must say, I cannot thank you all enough for the support you have given my page and stories, it means the world to me. So, I don't really know when I will be coming back to , it could be a few weeks or a few months, I just need a break to work on my personal projects and to simply unwind. That being said, this does **NOT** mean any of my stories will be taken off the page or that I will not come back, I will, and hopefully I'll bring a lot more updates for my stories.

Also, Lawrence Helmbain and Darth Khan N7, the two who have given me my first challenges as a Fanfic writer, that also means I won't be updating on your challenges for a while, and I would completely understand if you wish to take your challenge and find someone else who can. My feelings will not be hurt a single bit, I understand you want to see your stories come to life and I cannot do that for you right now. If you two or anyone who has questions, PM me or ask them in a Review, though if you are a guest I won't really be able to answer you.

(12/29/15) As of today, Alucard1959 is on Hiatus for the foreseeable future.

I am sorry and thank you for understanding!


	4. The Whole Teams Back Together…Sorta

**Chapter 2**

 **The Whole Teams Back Together…..Sorta**

 **I own Nothing**

"You weren't kidding, 8 on the dot."

Before both Naruto and Lady Hiroko appeared a figure that brought a smile and a blush to the young man's face. A young, silver-haired beauty appeared before him with deep dark gray eyes and a breathtaking form that couldn't be hidden under the standard uniform of Konoha's Jounins. Her face was hidden just as Kakashi's once was, but now Naruto wanted to see what rested underneath it, not because of his boyish curiosity but a far more primal feeling that he's never truly felt before today. I suppose now Naruto knew why so many females fell for Kakashi back in his dimension, the sex appeal and the mystery really draws you towards them. "Sorry I'm late Lady Hokage, I was helping a little girl get her cat out-" Even her voice held a sultry sweet tone to it that shook Naruto to his very center, but her silky smooth voice was cut short by the Hokage herself, who seemed rather curt with her at the moment.

"Save it Hatake. I've heard them all before,"

"I guess you have, haven't you?" The young Kunoichi chuckles at her leader's dry approach to her usual excuses before turning her attention to her priority, a one Naruto Uzumaki. "Hello, the names Kiminari Hatake, but my friends call me Kim for short. I'll be assessing you today." She said calmly with the same laid back attitude that was a stable of his Hatake back home. You could tell what she just said wasn't something she wanted to, it was probably a formality - a simple saying to make her seem even a little bit interested in doing this.

"H-Hey Kim, my names Naruto Uzumaki." He retorted, taking her hand in his and shaking it firmly - prepared to show Kim more respect than he ever did for the Kakashi of his time.

"An Uzumaki, hmm? I didn't know Uzumaki's came without red hair." She joked, smiling lightly under her mask. She decided to keep her personal questions to herself, seeing as this boy had the same last name as her sensei's late husband, at least until the testing period was over. She was also one of the many people who actually found Kukahiko Uzumaki as a good, well rounded Hokage, even if he didn't share the same gender as her. However, she did think that her sensei should have been given the spot, not because of her gender mind you, but because personally she believed Minami was a more focused and serious kunoichi than Kukahiko was.

"Yeah, I've gotten that a lot." He said, running his fingers through his blonde locks.

"I bet," She said, but soon she begrudgingly turned her attention back to the task at hand. "Well, let's get this started. I got a team of genin's I need to fail."

"Wait, if you need to go, we can resque-" Naruto was about to say something but was silenced by a giggle which escaped Kim's masked lips.

"Oh, of course not. By all means, let's do this right. They've already been waiting for 2 hours straight now. What's another hour or two going to hurt?" She said, limbering up for the test she was about to administer. Naruto couldn't help but smile at her carefree attitude towards her new team, it gave him a rush of nostalgia for the days when things seemed much more simpler for him and his friends.

"Are you serious?" He asked but deep down he knew the answer all too well. " _Typical Hatake, always being so difficult with her students."_ He thought, a small smirk appeared on his features - his mind began to drift back to the time he was a freshly made Genin, waiting god knows how long for his sensei to arrive. " _I bet Nami's losing her mind right about now."_

"Dead serious. I'm not a person who likes to be on time."

"I can tell." Naruto chuckled,

"Alright, first round. The Taijutsu portion, each combatant will fight for a 5 minute bout, during this bout you will show your full potential in Taijutsu. Understood?" they both nodded, prepared to fight one another with everything they had. "Hajime!"

Kim wasted no time in taking on the offensive, covering the distance between the two and swinging harshly at his open jaw. He was quick enough to block, his forearm taking the brunt of her attack. He noticed the lack of pain shooting through his forearm, it seemed like his body wasn't reacting to the attack as his original body would. He pushed back, knocking Kim away from him for the moment, leaving him to charge her and go for his own hail mary that was blocked as well by the silver haired Kunoichi which, to Kim's suprise, left a visible bruise on her forearm. " _Well now, that's different. I haven't seen a gaki do something like that before,"_ she thought as the fight continued, watching as the young blonde continued on his assault, taking as many openings as he could find. Soon, the 5 minutes had transpired, leaving them both on equal footing in this little spar.

"Next up is the second round, the Ninjutsu portion. Our participant will show off their strongest techniques which will be rated by both our jounin judge and I. Understood?" Naruto nodded once again, ready to show everyone his amazing techniques. "Hijime!" The training area went silent as Naruto stood there, unmoving, unblinking - something was wrong where.

" _Oh crap, my strongest jutsu is my Rasengan."_ Naruto thought hectically, beds of sweat began to build up on his forehead at a rapid pace.

" _ **What's the big deal? Use it and blow them away. You'll be ranked Jounin in a heartbeat."**_ Kurama stated in a matter of fact tone, as if the problem Naruto just figured out would be just that easy.

" _Don't you remember, in this world Minimi created this jutsu, meaning only the people she taught it to could know it. And I don't believe I would be one of those people seeing as she just met me two days ago!"_ What's Is he going to do? 85% of his offensive and defensive Ninjutsus are centered around the Rasengan! If he only had to present to Hiroko then this would be a piece of cake, hell, he might have even gotten the ranking of Jounin but now the addition of Kim complicates everything.

" _ **So? Sarutobi knows your secret, you don't have to keep hiding."**_ He retorted,

" _But Kim doesn't!"_ Naruto barked back, sometimes he can't help but get the feeling that Kurama doesn't pay too much attention to the going ons in Naruto's life.

" _ **Oh, now I see. Well, I'll leave you to it."**_

" _You get back here you lazy piece of -"_

"Naruto?" He snapped from his thoughts as he looked to the Hokage with a weak smile. "Hajime."

"R-Right, yeah. I was just thinking of which one to use. I have such a large library of techniques it's sometimes too hard to pick." Naruto chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. If he couldn't use a technique that practically takes up 85% of his attacks, then maybe he needed to use his #1 most used technique. "Well, let's start off with the basics. Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)!" A sea of Naruto's stood before both Sarutobi and Kim, both stunned into unspeakable awe at the sheer number of clones he could produce. A normal man would be quivering on their knees after 2, practically dead after 3, how could he hold so much chakra to make a ocean of clones when he's just one, normal man - well, at least to Kim he has just a normal man.

"How could anyone have so much chakra? He puts a Bijuu to shame." Kim asked, astonished at this feat while she tried to navigate through the massive crowd of blondes.

Hiroko looked over the sea of blondes as well and couldn't help but be impressed as well; so much potential in one man, she's rather glad that she listened to him when she did. "Yes, he has quite the chakra reserves."

Kim fumbled through the enormous amount of shadow clones until she reaches the real one, or at least, the one she thinks is the real. "Is there anything else you would like to show us, Naruto-san?"

" _I don't want to just leave it at that, they might think it's too weak to pass but I can use my rasengan variants or my Bijuu abilities without raising even more unwanted questions. Hmmmm….Aha! I know what will work, my one and only trademarked move."_ Naruto smiled as he prepares for his final trump card, a technique that no one else could ever replicate or duplicate. "Oiroke Gyaku Hāremu no Jutsu (Sexy Reverse Harem Technique)!" Kiroko and Kim were not prepared for what was to come, I don't think any sane person would be. The sea of Naruto's exploded into smoke only to be replaced with hot, sexy men with a puff of smoke around their waist to keep them modest - if you could call something like that "modest". This ocean of naked men struck a perverse cord with both the Third and our copycat Kunoichi, sending them both rocketing back with the force of a jet engine - clearing the Konoha border. "I might have overdid it a little bit. Who knew my Sexy jutsus would be so powerful." He smirked.

There recovery from this unforeseen ability took longer than they would like to admit, seeing as two well trained and highly decorated Kunoichis were caught off guard and immobilized by such an...odd technique. Finally composing themselves after that….unforeseen surprise, the two were back from their trip to the border of Konoha and were prepared to wrap up this little exercise. They arrived back at the testing grounds, both with tissue paper shoved up their noses to stop the blood from trickling out. "Well, that was….a very good show of your abilities, Naruto. That technique was quite unique."

"Haha, I honestly didn't think it would have worked on skilled kunoichis like yourselves." Both grew incredibly embarrassed at what Naruto was unwittingly implying. "I guess I should stop selling my technique so short. But, unfortunately those are the only techniques I know, besides the basics such as walking on water and flat vertical surfaces, so I guess you could say I am done with this round." He hated to lie like this, especially seeing as he knows he could produces so many more techniques, but right now he can't so he must suck it up and get the ranking that he's dealt.

"Before we end this testing portions, we would like to test for your elemental affinity." Said Hiroko as she rummages through her pocket before producing a simple small, square, black piece of paper.

"We don't have to do that. I already know what mine is, it's-" He was about to say but Kim went to speak,

"Well, then just humor us. It needs to be recorded from a trustable source such as the chakra paper or possibly by a demonstration." She stated,

Naruto sighed, trust me, he'd love to give a demonstration of his wind chakra, but yet again his hands are tied. So, with a heavy sigh, Naruto took the paper and filtered his chakra through it as he did years ago. "...Fine, give me the damn paper and I'll prove-" But, shockingly enough, the paper didn't react like it did the first time he had an encounter with it. Instead of being split down the middle like it did in years past the limp piece of black paper stiffened like a board before cracks began to form in it until, in an instant, it disintegrated into dust, leaving nothing behind but flicks of paper on Naruto's fingertips. "I can honestly say I've never seen chakra paper react to my chakra like that before."

Hiroko stared at Naruto, her mouth slightly ajar at what just transpired before her. "I-Impossible, something like this has never been recorded before."

"What is it?" Naruto asked,

Kim was the next to explain, "chakra paper is designed to register up to three elemental affinities in a single person, nothing more. I-It would appear that you must have more that three, causing the paper to malfunction."

"And...that's never happened before?"

"It has never been recorded in the history of Kunoichi, and this type of power coming from a shinobi of all people, remarkable." Kim whistled before she began to size up this strange new boy, her curiousity growing stronger and stronger each second she spends with him. "Are you sure you're not hiding anything from us?"

"M-Me? What do you mean, and what's with the third degree, I'm as shocked as you are." Naruto mumbled, unable to come up with a well thought out lie or fib in time.

"Enough Kim, it clearly isn't something he was aware of" Hiroko said sternly, "if that is all, I think it's time for us to convene and see what ranking you will receive." Hiroko and Kim moved to the side as to have some privacy for their little impromptu meeting. "Okay, so what do you think?"

"Well, from what I can tell he's no novice when it comes to hand to hand combat - even though I can tell he was holding something back his punches reminded me strongly of Gins when she's giving it her all. Also, his chakra levels seem to be off the charts in comparison to others, I would say he leaves most of our strongest Kunoichis in the dust. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention his affinity test, all and all he would make a great asset to our village. However, talking about his rank, it seemed like his jutsu repertoire ends at distractions like his Oiroke Gyaku Hāremu no Jutsu which isn't really something I believe to be high-grade material - I would rank him no higher than Tokubetsu Genin."

"It's been so long since we've used that rank, I'm surprised you remembered what it was called. Alright, is that you're final decision?"

"Yes, but before we tell him may I suggest something." Kim pulled the Hokage closer to her, keeping her voice hushed, "If it's alright with you, I'd like to have this one on my team."

"Are you sure? You already have three, any normal sensei would keep it at that." Lady Hokage asked, well aware of how Kim does when dealing with too much on her plate at once.

"I know, but I can see great potential in him. Besides, he reminds me a lot of someone I used to know." She declared, reminded of an old friend lost to the ages. His smile, his attitude at times, and even his attack style, it was uncanny.

"...Very well, if this truly means that much to you. But I want you to promise me that you will treat each member of your team equally, no matter what. Understood?" Kim nodded, "alright."

The two separated as Hiroko went to Naruto's to tell him the good news. "We've talked it over and you've been assigned the ranking of Tokubetsu Genin."

"What's that?" He wondered,

"It's a specific term used for those who are in the middle of Chunin and Genin in terms of skill, along with having the possibility of being assigned solo missions," Hiroko explained. "And we have another title for you, the fourth member of Team 7."

"Really? I can't wait!" Naruto smiled, excited at this unforeseen event. " _Hot damn, I didn't even plan on trying to make it into Team 7. This is going to make it a whole lot easier."_

"Well, you don't have to wait at all. Come on, let's go meet your teammates." And with that, both Kim and Naruto were off towards the awaiting team 7, leaving behind a pondering Hokage; after today's events, she has a lot to think about regarding this youngling and the part he will play in the upcoming trials this village might face.

 **-Team 7's Training Ground-**

"This is classic Kim, always late." Nami chuckled, lounging on a tree branch high above her teammates with a small smirk adorning her features. Though she wasn't pleased with her teacher's absent as the other two were, Nami has grown up with this type of action from Kiminari, she knew the moment the silver-haired Kunoichi was assigned as their sensei that this would become an everyday occurrence. So, instead of throwing a fit every day, she might as well get used to it; but it would seem that she was the only one to come to this conclusion.

One of Nami's new teammates responded to her statement with contempt, a usual reaction for this young raven haired girl. "If this is "classic Kim", then I might want to have a little word with the Hokage about switching teams or at least switching sensei's, Isumi would make a much better teacher anyway."

Nami scoffed, "oh yeah, let's have your big sister train us. There's no way that could be biased."

"Are you trying to insinuate something, Namikaze?" She retorted though she knew quite well what the blonde was getting at.

"Nothing at all, I think you're reading too much into things, Uchiha." This 'Uchiha' was none other than the brooding doppelganger of one of Konoha's most infamous missing - nin and traitor, Sasuki Uchiha. She, along with her counterpart, held stern charcoal like eyes with a serious expression to match, which was a shame, really, because a smile on her beautiful features would woo even the most jaded human being. The frowning Uchiha wore an outfit that seemed reminiscent to her boy counterpart during this time of his life, consisting of a pair of dark blue pants, over which hangs a blue cloth that covers her from her stomach to her knees. Her top was a simple gray zippered, high-collared, short-sleeved shirt and blue wrist warmers. Surprisingly enough, the usual spiked up look of her counterpart was not adopted by her, going from a more straightened look with her long raven hair tied back in a high ponytail to keep it out of her face except for her bangs that framed her face perfectly.

While the two continued with their argument, their third and final teammate watched on from her spot under a tree, basking in the comfortable shade given to her by the canopy. "First day and they're already squawking like birds. Why did mother put me on this team?"

"Are you trying to say something too, bookworm?" However, said 'bookworm' didn't count on Sasuki catching her snarky remark.

"Of course not, Sasuki-san." She said sweetly, a smile gracing her pale features. " _Play the part. Remember your studies - to faine cheerfulness you must smile, have a friendly disposition, and complete your sentences."_

Sasuki turned her attention away from her third teammate and focused it on her second one, prepared to definitely finish this argument between them. "Isumi's strong, informative, and above all else, punctual. She would make a much better sensei."

"If I didn't know better I would think _you're_ the leader of her damn fan club!" Nami countered to the ire of her raven haired colleague. "Cut Kim some slack, alright? She's only been late twice and she always has a reason for it. Now, if you're done bowing and scraping to your older sister - sit down and shut up."

A swirl of leaves broke them from their heated battled, "Yo." Kim-sensei greeted weakly,

"You're late!" Sasuki informed her sensei with a bitter tone,

"Sorry, I was rather busy busting in our new recruit." Kim said, pushing their supposed "new recruit" before her, "say hey to your new team member."

"Naruto! You're a part of our team, no way! That's amazing!" Nami cheered, hopping down from her perch to rush the blonde boy, wrapping a friendly arm around his neck. "When did you become a genin? Wait, don't tell me…..Baa-chan, right?" Nami asked, getting a nod from her gender-swapped doppelganger. As Nami smiled warmly at Naruto, her arm still wrapped around his neck like he was one of her good friends, Naruto's eyes couldn't help but focus on one individual, Sasuki Uchiha. Now, many would believe his stare was lustful, leering at the young woman's attractive body - and honestly, if it wasn't for the mere shock that Naruto was going through, he would be leering at her just the same for at least a good minute. No, it was because he has now come face to face with his long lost friend, a person he thought he would never see again, a person who he believed he could never make amends with. Now, this time, he could possibly save her from the same fate his Sasuke suffered and maybe they could be friends - true friends.

"A _boy_! He's our new team member?" Sasuki snarled, as she leered at her supposed new teammate as if his face has caused her physical disgust. Soon, she turned her attention towards her female rival with an equal sneer. "Nami, you know him? You associate yourself with….a _male_ ninja?"

"Yeah, I know him. You got a problem with it?" She asked, her typical sassy tone coming through quite well.

"You know I do, baka." Sasuki sighed, brushing a strand of loose black hair out of her face. "I can't stand their kind. They're weak, unruly, and pathetic in most aspects of being a ninja and don't pretend like your some activist, Nami, we used to talk all the time about our hatred of them, remember?" She said matter-of-factly as if she was merely stating a common truth and not something harsh or demeaning to a large part of Konoha and the Elemental Nation's population as a whole.

"I hate fanboys but not honest, hard working shinobis. Hell, one of my idols is my father! He fought an uphill battle against people like you who thought men were nothing but useless trash!" She said heatedly, wounded by her friend's statement. From what her mother told her, her father was a great, strong willed man who deserves the respect he fought so hard for, and hearing Sasuki bad mouth her father's gender really burned her.

"You honestly believe he was a _good_ Hokage?! He was practically a pushover, allowing those bitches on the civilian council to grow, hindering the hard working Clan portion of the council." She retorted with a sneer, the stories of her mother's ordeals with the civilian council rang loudly in her ears.

"Oh, what a shock! A Clan baby is crying over not having a monopoly over Konoha. I don't know if you've heard of this, but typically it's beneficial for both parties to have _equal_ say in the political aspect of a village. If one has more power than the other, it creates inequality which creates disorder or did they not teach you that!" Nami said, shocking Naruto at how well thought out her comeback was. If it was him in the same position, he'd probably have yelled "shut up" or "up yours, Sasuke-baka!" - I guess that just goes to show him how things have changed for the better in this other world…..well, in some small aspects.

"Kunoichi's bring in 65% of the revenue into this village, what's wrong with them reserving a bit more for their hard work. Hell, that fool of a man even went so far as to sink more of _our_ hard earned money into helping the civilians - which, might I remind you, is full of useless _men_ who believe they deserve everything that we hard working Kunoichi provide, if not more! He was a biased, man loving ruler who made us weaker as a village, both financially and reputation wise among the other villages. "

"How dare you say that about my father! At least mine wasn't a traitor!"

"What did you just say?"

The look on Sasuki's face wasn't something Nami has seen in quite some time, it actually filled her with a bit of remorse for what she just said. "...Look, I'm-"

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"ENOUGH!" Kim barked, silencing the two before this grew more hectic. Truth be told, if she had thought more ahead she would have stopped this bitter and pointless argument before it grew this deeply involved. "If I see you two bickering like that again, I'll drop you both from my team! Got it?" As they glared daggers at one another, they reluctantly nodded. "Good - now then, let's get something straight here. I don't care about your ideology or what your parents did, you four are now a _team_! A good team, regardless of what genders in it, works by using teamwork and cooperation! So, Naruto Uzumaki is now our fourth member, deal with it! Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Nami nodded, staring her so called friend down. Sasuki kept her mouth shut, an audible *humph* was the only confirmation Kim was given as she also didn't feel the need to pry her eyes away from her blonde rival.

"I for one wish to welcome this newcomer." The pale-faced artist said warmly, though it seemed rather hollow - I suppose the word 'forced' would be the best way to put it. "My name is Seiko Shimura, it's a pleasure to meet you." She said, extending a friendly hand to this new face, her smile firm on her features. " _Chapter two: Meeting A New Friend. When you introduce yourself, seem happy and welcoming - give them a warm smile and shake their hand firmly. I think I've got this in the bag!"_ Seiko has short, straight black hair, and dark eyes which strongly contrast with her translucent-looking pale skin. She carried a small backpack that Naruto guessed held her brush, scrolls, and ninja ink. Her attire wasn't too far off from how Sai looked when he first met him; a short black-and-grey jacket with a tip-less tantō on her back. The rest of her outfit consisted of a high-collared midriff shirt, black pants, shinobi sandals and gloves with her index and thumb fingers exposed, most likely to facilitate the use of his drawing based techniques

" _Sai, even as a girl you're still way too obvious. You have to be genuine with your smile or it will only come off as fake."_ He thought, stifling chuckles as to not seem rude in front of his new teammate. "Hey Seiko, it's nice to meet you too. The name's Naruto." He said with a smile of his own, though his was far more real. Seeing Sai, whether it be through the features of his female counterpart or not, was welcomed - sending a flutter through his very being to see him/her, he even felt that when he saw Sasuki for the first time. Before he could continue, his mind was drawn to something the pale artist said just a few moments ago, " _wait….Shimura? Where does that ring a bell?"_

"And I believe you've already meet Nami,"

"Met me? We've practically taken him in!" Nami peels her glare from her childhood rival to greet her new roommate. She rushed him, slinging her arm around his shoulder and bring him in close in a friendly embrace, surprising both Satsuki - shocked at how friendly she would get to this _man_ , and Naruto who's just not that used to quick and unprovoked physical contact. Though, during his later years in his dimension, he was hailed as a hero and, in most aspects, people still didn't do anything physically different around him besides the odd slap on the back or handshake. Hugs weren't something he usually gave or received, so I guess this could be looked at as a surprising welcome from his female counterpart. "I can't wait to see what you're made of. This team will bring the best out of ya, I'm sure of it."

Kim chuckled, catching their attention. "Well, if you're still a team after today, that is."

"What are you talking about, Kim-chan?" Nami asked as she released her blonde counterpart,

"This test is to determine the best out of you four. To groom the best and scrap out the weak links," stated Kim, taking on a more serious tone as she straightened up, slipping her book back into her holster as she gave her team her undivided attention. "I'll keep the explanation quick and simple. These are bells," she riffles through her pouch before producing two silver bells attached by one string, "each one of you will have 1 hour to try and take them from me. Whoever holds one after the time is up will get to eat and is safe for another day. The rest of you, however, this is the end of your ninja career and if none of you can get one, well, I don't think it takes a scholar to know what happens to all 4 of you."

"WHAT!" Nami yelled, tugging harshly on her long pigtails in shock.

"Excuse me?!" Sasuki questioned a second behind Nami, snapping her glare that seemed to be aimed at her new male teammate.

"How unfortunate, and I've worked so hard to be here," Seiko said - her face read distraught but her voice gave the impression that she wasn't to worked up about Kim's idle threat. Just like her male counterpart, not much seems to affect them emotionally.

Naruto was staring off into space before he noticed his 'team's' gaze was directed towards him, "Hmmm?...Oh, right. What? Nooo, how could you!" He said rather lamely, knowing all too well what was to come if he played his cards right. He should have probably played his part a little better, but he's never been known for his acting skills.

"You heard me. I thought it would be a good addition to our little test, it might even give you some incentive to actually try your best. Come at me with all you have, do not hold back!" She ordered, before a long stretch of silent reflection fell over the group. "...Well, what are you waiting for? You only have 59 minutes left!" The group quickly dispersed, trying to find different areas to keep their heads down for the time being. Well, all but two that is - both Nami and Naruto stood defiantly before Kim, their arms crossed and determination etched on their faces. "Is there a reason you two are still standing here? Your teammates seemed to go with a more stealthy approach."

"I can take you, I know I can!" Nami said, pride shimmering in her eyes as she readies herself to attack. "I've trained too hard to be sent back to the Academy, and if that means I have to go through you directly then so be it."

"And you, Naruto. Why are you here?" Kim wondered, generally curious as to why such a usually level-headed boy would be so bold.

"Well, I thought two heads are better than one. So, why not help out my teammate, ya know?" Naruto answered simply, shrugging his shoulders before he slides into a comfortable stance. "Okay Nami, let's do this!" He declared, Nami taking up his side, " _I think we can do this."_

" _ **You are stupidly optimistic, aren't you?"**_ Kurama chuckled,

" _I really need to put a muzzle on you."_ The two blondes looked to one another, each burning with determination as they took off towards Kim, prepared to give their all in a flash of smoke and doppelgangers. This will be a battle for the-

 **-5 minutes later-**

"Well, that could have gone over better." Naruto sighed, his back resting against the bark of a nearby tree while his female counterpart did the same. If there was a spectator out in the forest watching the battle unfolded, that man or woman would probably describe that "battle" as a slaughter. With Nami's lack of experience and Naruto's inability to use his usual repertoire and strength, both were rather handicapped going into this test against this battle hardened kunoichi known as Kim. "I guess you weren't kidding, Jounin's are no joke." He said with a weak chuckle as his mind began to race. " _Kim is 5 times stronger than Kakashi was. Out there I felt like I was a genin all over again without my stronger techniques."_

" _ **Well, you technically are."**_ Kurama hummed,

" _I meant skill wise, you jackass,"_ Naruto fired back, laying his head to rest against the bark.

" _ **You are weak because you haven't fully grasped your power. It's like a child with a kunai, it can hold it, swing it, hell - even cut someone, but it's useless in the hands of the untrained."**_ Explained the fox, " _ **besides, you decided against using your more effective attacks like the Rasengan, so, of course, you got your ass kicked. Other than the Rasengan and it's other variants that you created which, admittedly, are pretty effective, what other jutsus do you know?"**_

Naruto remained silent as he began to run through the list of techniques he's most fond of using and came up rather lacking, " _Ummmm...my sexy harem jutsu?"_

" _ **As I thought, absolutely nothing comes to mind, does it?"**_ Kurama said, not even registering his answer as a true response. " _ **If you looked back on all your battles over the years, each win was based on either luck, help, incompetence, or - during your older years - overpowering your opponents with your Rasengan and shadow clones. Face it, without your Rasengan, you're kinda weak by comparison."**_

" _Wow, why don't you tell me how you really feel,"_ Naruto grumbled, though if he was honest with himself, his arsenal of strong or versatile jutsus was very lacking.

" _ **I'm simply being honest. Now, that's not saying that you didn't have a good combo going with using clones in your taijutsu and the way you used the Rasengan and evolved it was amazing to see, for a human at least, but you can't let those be your only moves."**_ Kurama voiced sternly, almost as a wise teacher would say to his stubborn student, " _ **I'm surprised some people didn't use your lack of other skills against you."**_

However, their little discussion on Naruto's abilities was abruptly cut short by Nami's voice, "hey, Naruto-kun, you alright?"

"Ummm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, I'm just thinking about how we could take Kim down. Our clones barely fazed her." He lied, still deep in thought about what Kurama said. Thinking back on every single fight or battle he's had in his life, only three techniques popped into his mind that really helped him out, and each one of them he used to excess until he overwhelmed his opponent, which, at times is a really good strategy, but that being Naruto's only strategy? That's sad, it really is.

"Yeah, and I've been working on that Namikaze barrage for weeks now and she didn't even look up from her smut." Nami sighed, tapping her foot against a uprooted root as she tried to think of another direction to come at her sensei with.

Pushing his own personal thoughts to the back of his mind for later, Naruto decides to implement his past knowledge of this situation to his advantage, "...maybe this test isn't about getting the bells." Nami looked at him with a cocked brow, "think about it, what Genins fresh out of the academy could possibly beat a Jounin at anything, let alone hand to hand combat? I don't think the bells are the objective of this game."

"Okay, and what do _you_ think the objective is? Seeing how much of our asses she can kick in one hour?" She asked, her voice drenched in sarcasm, something Naruto hated that his doppelganger kept from his original timeline. Looking back on how he acted all those years ago, he cringes at it, he just hopes he can help his counterpart skip those embarrassing moments and forced confrontations.

"Joke all you want, but how many teams do you know that only have two team members?" He asked,

Nami shrugged, "I don't know, how many teams do you know that have 4?"

Naruto went to retort but found that he couldn't really say much, Nami was right. "Look, I bet you there is no way that she believes we will get those bells, especially going at her one at a time. I think we need to work together, all of us. Including Seiko and Sasuki and then we all attack at once."

Nami chuckled, "do you really think that Sasuki will team up with us? She'd rather be sent back to the academy than even pretend to work with you."

"What is her deal with men anyway?"

"I don't know, today was the first day I actually….saw that side of her. We'd always talk about how annoying fanboys were and how we hated how clingy and creepy they are, but apparently, her hatred ran deeper than I thought." Nami stated, her voice betrayed a bit of sadness of finding out about Sasuki's deep-seated hatred for not only the male population but her father as well.

Naruto walked to Nami's side, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "...I'm sorry, I didn't want to come between your friendship with her."

"We weren't friends, we were rivals. She's always been one step ahead of me, pretending that everything she did was freakin' flawless! Elemental techniques, chakra control, academics, everything seemed to come so easy to her while I had to work my ass off to get where I am. That is just another nail in the coffin." Nami shook off his hand, her stubborn Uzumaki blood began to shine through; she'd never admit to caring about a man-hating, clan child who only cares about herself no matter what, even if, deep down, she still wanted to be friends with said clan child.

" _It's like staring into a mirror, a gender-swapped mirror."_ Naruto chuckled, getting a sideways glare from his counterpart for his troubles. "Oh really? You two had _nothing_ in common, no friendly interest?"

"...Well, like I said before, we liked to talk about those stupid fanboys." She reiterated, "Saburo and Inoichi were the worst, we never thought they would graduate with us. Sadly, they did, but we didn't have to share a team with them so, I guess we couldn't complain…..but that one, _very_ small common interest does not mean we're friends. I hate her! Always thinking she's better than me, that clan baby!"

"Clan baby?"

"Oh yeah, you probably don't know what that is, do you?" She questioned, "it's kind of like calling someone a spoiled brat. Most clan heads and their children are given special treatment because they have "special doujutsus" and "special techniques". So what? My mom has made two amazing jutsus and is highly respected in her field with countless accomplishments to her name, but do we get a fancy Clan headquarters? NO!" Nami hissed, a hint of bitterness in her tone, well, a hint doesn't seem like the proper amount….more like a truckload of bitterness.

"I would think that the Hokage's family would be treated just as nicely." Naruto countered,

"Oh no, not even close!" Nami fired back heatedly, thankfully her rage wasn't aimed at Naruto in particular. "Don't get me wrong, we're not lepers or anything, at least not to most people anyway - those, thankfully dwindling, few who still believe my father to be the bane of our villages existence still kinda treat us like crap. But Clan heads and children are the cream of this villages respective crop, at least that's what it looks like. Everyone expects big things from them and practically kisses their collective asses just to make sure they're in good graces with them. Though I do have to say, there are a few of them that aren't that bad like Shinako Aburame, Shiomi Nara, and Chiyo Akimichi just to name a few, but most of the rotten ones came from the two most prominent clans, the Hyuugas, and Uchihas."

Naruto chuckled once more at how passionate Nami discussed this problem with him. "I'm guessing you're putting Sasuki under that description too?"

"Damn right I am," Nami proudly stated,

"Well, whether you like her or not, she and Seiko might be the only chance we have of winning this thing." This brought a frown to Nami's usually cheerful features, "I know it's just a hunch, but it's better than trying to get the bells one at a time. How about it? You go find Sasuki, I'll find Seiko."

"Why do I have to find Sasuki? This is your plan, you do it." Nami barked, a childish *humph* escaping her lips.

"Because she won't listen to me - I'm a dude, remember?" Said the blonde, "you two have a history, even if it's a crappy one, so if she's going to listen to anybody it's you. Just….present it in a flattering light, make _her_ want to do it, and for god's sake, please don't start anything with her."

"So I'm just supposed to forget about her trash talking my father and my guest?" She asked bitterly, the idea of groveling to that stuck up Uchiha for her help made her skin crawl. "That's a pretty tall order,"

"If you want to be a ranked Kunoichi, then yes," Naruto stated bluntly; he knew how hard this would be for her but it's their only option. Sasuki would never listen to him and he doesn't really know Seiko all that much to ask her to do it, so Nami was the only person fit for the job right now. "Besides, you did call her father a traitor, isn't that kinda hypocritical of you to be angry at her for something you yourself did as well?"

"There's a difference, her father was a traitor-!" Nami began to grow that trademarked Uzumaki head of steam but calmed herself before she could go on another rant about Sasuki's traitorous father. "...Fine, I'll do it, but you owe me big time!"

"I owe you? I thought, you know, the possibility of _passing_ this test would be payment enough." She stared at him, her eyes glaring daggers; I guess he really didn't have much of a choice. "Fine, whatever. Let's just get this done, alright?" He sighed as his female counterpart smiled, basking in the glow of her victory. Soon Nami went in search for her rival, leaving Naruto to his own search. As he turned to start his hunt for the elusive pale artist he was graced with a sight he was not prepared for. Hanging from a tree branch now inches from his face was the very same pale features he had set out to look for.

Shocked as many would be at this sudden appearance, Naruto jumped back, practically out of his skin, "Sweet gods in heaven!" He yelled, dropping onto the coarse ground below.

The artist merely smirked at his startled display. "Why hello there, Naruto-kun. Word through the grapevine is that you were looking for Lil' ole' me. Is that true?"

"H-How the hell do you know that?" Naruto asked, getting to his feet as he dusted off his clothes. " _Man, Seiko is a lot...weirder than Sai was. At least Sai didn't hang from a freaking tree to scare the crap out of me,"_ he thought with a sigh, and he thought the original Sai was eccentric and strange, but from what he has seen from Seiko, she might blow him out of the water.

"A good Kunoichi never reveals her secrets." She chirped, her lifeless smirk still plastered across her face. Her ink filled creations have always lent well to tactical espionage, so while her teammate bickered and fought she slipped several of her little ink constructions into the forest for whatever was to come. Thankfully, they caught the little conversation Naruto and Nami were having and gave her a good opportunity to get the jump on the new recruit.

"...Okay, and is there a reason why you're hanging from a tree?" He wondered, rightfully confused as to what reason there is to hang upside down from a tree.

" _Chapter 10: To build a good rapport with your teammate, try to seem open and inviting. Try to joke and play with them like you would a friend, it will help your bonds form quicker and stronger."_ She thought before she flashed her pearly whites and answered the blonde's question with what she thought to be a good opening joke. "Is there a reason why you're _not_ hanging from a tree?" she said with a hollow giggle. " _Oh yeah, witty comeback. I am killing it at being a normal girl!"_ Even though she thought she nailed her first personal encounter with one of her teammates, Naruto wasn't to blown away by her 'witty' retort.

Naruto chuckled lamely before he continued with the task at hand, "...anyway, I was hoping that you wouldn't mind teaming up with Nami, Sasuki, and I to take Kim head on."

"Oh? And why would I do that? It would be much easier to snatch the bells without accomplices." Seiko said with a raised brow.

"Well, I had this idea. Kim couldn't possibly think we could get the bells from her, she's far too advanced and skilled to be fooled by us, so I was thinking that maybe-" Naruto began, but Seiko decided it would be best to finish his thought for him.

"This isn't about getting the bells or even surviving this test, it's about teamwork?" She stated, taking the words straight from Naruto's mouth. It seemed unreal how spot on Seiko was with her educated guess, it was almost like she was from an alternate future as well - geared with the knowledge that Naruto also carries.

"Y-Yeah...how did you-"

"It was one of the 5 theories I had considered." She stated critically, dropping from her hanging position on her branch of choice; dusting off the few flakes of tree bark and dust that gripped to her clothing. "As you said, Kiminari-san is far too powerful for us to take even a single bell from her with the time allotted, especially if we tried it separately. Also, she discussed teamwork during Nami and Satsuki's argument, it's safe to say she holds it in high regard."

"Then why did you ask me why I wanted your help if you knew this might be a possibility?" He asked,

"I wished to see if I was the only one to assume such a thing." She said rather matter of factly, "I am glad I am not the only one who thinks rationally on this team. Besides, it never hurts to know why someone needs your help."

"Yes, well what do you say?" Naruto asked, producing his hand before his teammate, "want to give her a run for her money?"

Seiko examined his hand for a moment before a genuine smile graced her lips - one that held a sly undertone - before she took his hand in her own, shaking it firmly. "Very well, but on one condition."

"Okay, name it."

"Let me draw you," She said without hesitation, catching Naruto by surprise.

"...I-I'm sorry, what?"

"As an aspiring artist, I love to challenge myself with different art styles and direction. I've never painted the male form before and I wish to do so with you." She explained,

" _What is with these people asking me for favors when it's clear that we ALL need each other!"_ Naruto wondered, a bit miffed that his teammates seem to just want to do this so they can get something out of him for it. But, if doing a few favors for his teammates will mean they all could pass, then he really doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. "Ummm, okay so I just, what, let you paint my portrait or something?"

"Yes, something like that." She smirked, holding back a sinister snicker, "so, do we have a deal?"

"Alright, now we just need to get Sasuk-" As the two sealed the deal with a shake, a fiery explosion could be seen from the west side of the training grounds, alerting both Naruto and Seiko to a raging battle taking place in the same proximity of Nami and Sasuki. "Oh gods, please don't let it be what I think it is!" Quickly, the two embarked towards the source of the flames hoping that Naruto's thinking was wrong.

\- **5 Minutes Later** -

"Get back here!" Sasuki yelled, hoping to the forest ground to chase after Nami. Once she landed, a wave of clones that were waiting for her burst from out of the massive forest that surrounded them. Quickly, without a second's hesitation, Sasuki rushed through her hand signs before letting rip a massive fireball. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!" She yelled, lighting the clones and the forest behind them aflame, only to notice that none of them was her intended target. "Stop running away, you bitch!"

"Fuck you!" Sasuki wasn't able to move fast enough to escape a harsh right hook from Nami, sending her sprawling backward onto her ass. Before Sasuki could react, Nami crossed her fingers, activating her signature technique, "Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)!"

As the continued to rage on, the original Nami stood atop the action, watching Sasuki's every move from the safety of one of the many branches, waiting for the moment to strike. However, while she watched her opponent with a calculating gaze, she was unaware of the fastly approaching Naruto and Seiko who now landed next to her, his features serious and his voice even more so. "What in the hell is happening here?"

Nami jumped a little at Naruto's booming voice before she turned to him,"It's not my fault," she quickly fired out, but it didn't seem to sway Naruto's stern features. "No, seriously. I can explain everything...just give me, like one second." She said, noticing the perfect opening to strike Sasuki from above but her surprise attack was stopped by Naruto's stern hand grabbing a hold of her shoulder.

"No, we don't have time for this." He said sharply, almost like a father scolding his child. "Whatever happened here, apologize."

"I WILL NOT! She's the one who started all of this!" Nami barked hotly, snatching her shoulder out of Naruto's grip. " _She_ started yelling at me, _she_ threw the first punch, and _she_ called my father a useless bastard! What the hell did you expect me to do?"

Naruto's gaze softened as he noticed the sadness in her enraged features, the tears threatening to break out over what has transpired in the 5 minutes she left his side. He sighed, feeling quite foolish for jumping the gun so quickly, " _of course, she wouldn't have attacked Sasuki without a reason, she's not like my old self who wanted to pick a fight just to pick a fight…"_ He thought, "...Alright, I get it."

"No you don't, you couldn't." She said sadly, her eyes downcast as her clones continued the battle. "No one could."

Above the battle and above the teens discussing what had transpired, a white-haired vixen stood, a stern look on her face. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here," Kim said with a sigh, peering over her book with a disappointed leer, catching the attention of those below her. "And here I thought you two were better than this. Oh well, I suppose your team truly wasn't ready to become Genins if you're unwilling to put your petty squabbles aside for the greater good."

"Petty!? She disrespected my father!" Nami yelled back,

"You're truly nothing but children," Kim said without a care as she closed her book. "Very well, I've seen enough. You four do not deserve the rest of the allotted time."

"Wait, no - please Kim, let us have one more chance, I swear we can-" Naruto tried to explain, hoping to talk his way into giving himself and his team another chance, but Kim wasn't having it.

"Save it, Naruto-san. Your efforts were commendable, but this team is not worth saving." She stated firmly. "As of today, you four will be stripped of your titles as Genins and sent back to the Academy."

The battle between the endless wave of Nami clones and Sasuki relentless Fireballs came to a swift end once that bit of information was dealt out, "No, you can't do that!" Sasuki yelled, "I've worked so hard to get here! I can't be sent back."

"You should have thought of that before you allowed your personal emotions to cloud your judgment." Sasuki went to speak but was silenced by Kim's leer laced with authority, authority that Sasuki was not willing to go against at this point in time. "I am well aware of what happened between you and Nami, I have eyes everywhere in this training grounds. She offered you a chance to rally together to take me on in a four person assault, and instead of thinking rationally you reacted with petty, childish insults and then aggression!"

Nami was about to speak, but was silenced by her ex-sensei, "you were no better Nami, your thin skin leads to this confrontation as much as Sasuki's quick temper and your previous comment about _her_ father kept you two from continuing forward like rational kunoichis. I should have known you two could never make a proper team, and now you've taken two others down with you because of your bad blood." The silver haired maiden then sighed, her aggression and disappointment showed through. She turned, her back facing the group of teens before she spoke in a numb tone, "Follow me," she said before she jumped from her spot and headed towards the center of the training grounds, the ex-Team 7 following shortly after.

"Now, I need to report this to Lady Hokage immediately, which means I shall leave you four here to soak in your failings." The group grew visibly saddened by that sentence; failing is one thing, but being mocked for failing is another. "Also, seeing as only two of you even tried to use the odds in their favor, I wish to give Seiko and Naruto a consolation price. I know it's nowhere near the true price of validation into the ranks of the kunoichi/shinobi field, but does a nice Bento box sound alright?" She asked rather kindly, it was actually strange how Kim and Kakashi could jump from one extreme to another.

She presented two freshly made Bento boxes before Seiko and Naruto, getting a goofy grin from the blonde. "Hai, I'm starving!" Naruto cheered, taking the bento with little hesitation.

"It's hardly equal to having the rank of Genin, but I suppose it will have to do," Seiko said with a shrug, taking the bento just the same as Naruto.

"I must apologize for your team's poor performance, I hate to see you two dragged down by this." She said with a sigh before a serious look came over her features. "Though, before you two eat, I must warn you. Neither Nami nor Sasuki is allowed a single bite of that Bento Box."

"Awe! Come on, Kim-chan. I feel shitty enough, can't I have a little?" Nami whined, "I'm starving, I haven't eaten anything since last night!"

"No, you didn't think of your teammates before you acted, why should they think of you and your appetite?" Kim asked rather curtly, before continuing her explanation to Naruto and Seiko. "Anyway, as I was saying. They are not allowed to have a single bite of this food, no matter what, and if I find out that either of you feed them, there will be hell to pay! Do I make myself clear?" Her single eye held a menacing glare, petrifying both Seiko and Naruto. Both nodded quickly, "good, I'm glad we are on the same page. Now, I'm off, chow!" She said cheerfully as she flashed from existence, leaving behind only leaves and a trail of smoke. "Oh wait, I almost forget," The image of Kim appeared once more, not even a second had passed. Swiftly, ropes appeared from behind both Nami and Sasuki, binding both to two wooden pillars that sat center in the training grounds.

"What the hell is this for?!" Nami yelled, trying to wrestle against the ropes but the harder she struggled, the tighter the ropes grew. "Don't you think this is a bit overkill?" But her question was not answered as Kim's reappearance was short lived.

"This is absurd! This is borderline abuse, untie me at once!" Sasuki harshly voiced, but it merely fell on deaf ears as Kim was nowhere to be seen.

"I suppose she wishes to show you the true errors of your ways," Naruto said, uncharacteristically cold as he took his spot next to his doppelganger, slipping the lid of his freshly made bento box off. "I mean, think if this was a mission and you allowed yourselves to be caught up in your own personal problems?"

"But it wasn't!"

"True, but she wished for us to take it just as seriously as one, don't you see that?" Deep down he knew he was being a bit hypocritical, seeing as he was just as blind as she was when he went through this test the first time and only his past experience has lead him to know this but he also wanted his counterpart to learn this far quicker than he did so it could possibly prevent future events. This was why he was sent back in the first place and even if he has to be a dick to his female self he'll do it, again and again, to make sure she doesn't fail the same way he did. "And if you're not willing to take this seriously then she has no use for students like that."

She looked at him with a mixture of emotions playing on her features. Her heart told her to try and kick his teeth in, but she knew deep down in her mind that she had let herself and her team down because of her short fuse. So, with a heavy sigh, Nami conceded, "...I guess you might have a point," she said, lowering her head in defeat. "I'm sorry Naruto, I know you wanted to be a Genin too. It's just...I've lived my whole life hearing people say such horrible things about my father just because of his gender. They just hate so they can, not looking past his gender so they could see what he's done for this village. I can't stand it, it's like nails on a chalkboard! So now I feel like I have to do something - if I don't, then his name, his legacy would mean nothing."

"You are his legacy, Nami-chan." Naruto stated kindly, "no matter what he did during his career as the Hokage, you are his biggest accomplishment."

Nami was surprised by Naruto's insightful words, it actually left her a bit speechless. "...Do you really think so?"

"I know it, Dattebayo!" Nami's eyes widen, she recalled that word - it was hazy but she remembered her mother telling her stories of how her father would say something like that every day, she said it was one of the things she loved and hated about him. "A father's legacy lives within you. You carry everything your father is, same for your mother - and you know what? I think, even now, you've done your father proud."

Hearing such kind words from her new houseguest let her smile for the first time during this damn test. "That's a wonderful sentiment, it really is, but I don't think right now my father - or my mother for that matter - would be all that proud of me right now. I blew it, my only chance in 6 years to become a full fledge Kunoichi." She sighed, "but thank you anyway, you're really sweet - even though I kinda brought you down with me."

"Well, think of it this way." She looked to him as he popped a dumpling into his mouth. "At least you won't have to go through the academy again all by yourself."

It was silent at first, but then she started to giggle which soon grew into a hearty laugh, "I guess you've got a point there," She said with a snort, "at least we'll face the horrors of Ikuko-chan's lectures together. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend 6 more years." She said sarcastically.

He laughed, prepared to dig into more of his delectable meal only to stop once he heard both Nami's and Sasuki's - who has yet to say a single word this entire time - collective stomachs growl in hunger. Naruto looked at his food, then to his bounded teammates and began to put two and two together, this was part of the test as well! He remembered now, he was in the same position both Sasuki and Nami were in during his first bell test. He pinched a piece of breaded shrimp in between his chopsticks and presented it to Nami, a bewildered look on her face, "here, take it."

She was about to snatch it from his chopsticks with reckless abandon but thought against it, "b-but you'll get in trouble with Kim-chan."

"What's she going to do? She's already decided we are nowhere near ready to brave the world as Genins, so I don't see why you two should suffer anymore." He said with a shrug before bringing the shrimp back up to Nami's lips. "Now eat, you know you want to," She debated her actions for a minute, staring from the delectable shrimp to her blonde teammate with a perplexed look prominently placed on her features. Giving into her thoughts, she took the piece with a smile, happy she could finally put something in her stomach to stop its hellish growling. After feeding her half of his bento box he, surprisingly, turned to Sasuki and offered her a dumpling dripping with sauce. "It's your turn Sasuki-chan, open wide."

"D-Don't speak to me in such an informal tone, you scum! You will refer to me as Sasuki-sama or not at all, I am your better, after all." She hissed venomously, but Naruto seemed unfazed by her insult, his grin still firmly planted on his features. His smile only infuriated Sasuki more, "and like I would eat something a male would present to me! I would rather starve." As if on cue, her stomach growled with the veracity of a starving bear - bring a blush to her features and a snicker to Naruto's lips.

"It sounds like you're about to do just that, Sasuki-chan."

"W-W-What did I say about your tone, baka!" She growled before her stomach betrayed her again. She turned her gaze elsewhere, unwilling to give this lesser being the common courtesy of eye contact. "I wouldn't eat your food if it was the last food on earth. Now leave me be, you pest!"

"...Very well," He sighed before he brought the food to his mouth. "I guess I'll just eat it right. In. Front. Of. You."

"You wouldn't dare." Sasuki hissed, only to see Naruto inch the dumpling closer to his gaping mouth. "Fine, do your worst, I could care less." And with that remark, Naruto drops the plump dumpling into his mouth, slowly and sensually chowing up the food he placed in his mouth.

"Oh gods, this is spectacular! I've never had anything like it," Naruto moaned blissfully, plucking a shrimp from his bento and tossing it into his mouth "These dumplings are to die for, oh and this shrimp, they're just mouth watering!"

Sasuki stayed silent for a bit, suffering in silence until she couldn't stand it anymore; this injustice could not continue! "You bastard! How dare you eat that in front of me!" She howled with bail, but, surprisingly, Sasuki said something Naruto and the group were not prepared to hear from the prideful Uchiha. "Fine, I'll allow it! But just this once,"

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that. Can you say it again?" Naruto asked, getting a growl in response.

She glared daggers towards him but it didn't seem to affect his smug smirk, "I, Sasuki Uchiha, give you permission to feed me with your filthy, man hands, but only this once and if I hear you speak a word of this to anyone - this goes for you two as well, Seiko and Nami - I will personally torch you alive!"

"Noted, now eat."

"Don't you order me-" She was silenced by a shrimp being pressed against her bare lips by the smiling blonde, eliciting a giggle from both Nami and Seiko. Her eyebrow twitched at the lack of respect but reluctantly opens her mouth, allowing the shrimp safe passage to its destination. She held back a moan from how delicious the food was, unwilling to give this _male_ any form of satisfaction, even if it was a small victory of bringing joy to her taste buds. Seeing the blonde's selfless action, Seiko decided to continue feeding Nami, allowing her to finish off what remained of her bento. This continued for a minute or so, Naruto feeding the stubborn Uchiha Princess with relative ease as she savored every bite as Seiko did the same to the greedily hungry Nami - if Naruto didn't know any better, he would think she was actually warming up to his presence. Unfortunately, his assumption was put on hold when the thunderous return of their sensei broke what little connection these two had.

Kiminari appeared on the scene with a darkly ammounse aura floating about her, her only eye glaring dangerously towards Naruto and Seiko, "I gave you a strict order, one single order to follow and yet you disobeyed me. I gave you something for your compliance, and this is how you repay me? What do you two have to say for yourselves?!"

"You speak of teamwork and yet you want to punish us for feeding our own team?! What type of hypocrite are you?" Naruto yelled, playing along with Kim's game. "I won't let my team suffer, not today or any other day, and if I have to deal with your punishment, then so be it!"

"Naruto's correct, I shall stand by my team without fail. If you're going to punish one, you better punish us all." Seiko agreed, taking a stand next to Naruto.

"Don't be too harsh on them, Kim-chan. It was my fault, I asked for some food." Nami voiced, hoping to lessen Kim's wrath on her teammates.

"If I must, I would admit to ordering the male to feed me. Clearly I needed to, I was not going to allow myself to starve while you went off to the Hokage." Sasuki smugly stated,

"Fine...if you four wish to disobey my orders as a group, then you shall deal with your consequences as a group!" Kim yelled, pointing a single digit towards the four. "You four….Passed." And just like that, the ominous atmosphere lifted as their "vengeful" sensei chuckled at their terrified faces.

" _Oh, sweet Kami! For a second there, I didn't think it was going to work like last time."_ He sighed, almost prepared to fall forward from anticipation.

"What?!" Nami cried out in both joy and rage.

"Pardon?" Sasuki asked, raising a brow in confusion.

"Oh, what an unforeseen turn of events," Seiko said rather numbly as she tried to exhibit the emotions of shock and awe but to most it came off rather flat.

"I was getting worried, I thought you four would force my hand to make a point." Kim chuckled, "this was also part of my test and you four passed with flying colors. As Naruto mentioned earlier, if this was a mission, Nami and Sasuki would surely have put their whole team at risk. However, your teammates still braved my potential wrath to help you, just as true teammates should, along with you two coming to their aid in the end. Those who abandon their mission are scum, but those who abandon their friends are even worse, it's been a saying of mine for quite some time now. All and all, you four have shown me you can work together when it comes down to the wire. However, that doesn't mean you're out of hot water just yet."

"What do you mean? Do we have to do another freaking test?!" Nami asked, her eyes widening at the mere thought of having to do something like this yet again. Even Sasuki and Seiko seemed a bit hesitant in the prospect of having to do another one of Kim's tests.

"No, no, no. I wouldn't want to do another test even if I had too. The first one was a travesty," Kim said with a snicker, "I meant you four are still far from a desirable team yet. Though you showed hints of teamwork, there's still a lot to be desired, but that can be remedied. Tomorrow, you four will meet me at the same time here and we will begin our training. We will learn our team's strength and weakness and learn how to counter them effectively."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered,

"Awesome!" Nami celebrated, replicating her doppelgangers enthusiasm.

"Very well," Sasuki nodded, her usual Uchiha sternness finding it's way back to her features yet again.

Seiko smiled once again, "I cannot wait to learn more about my teammates."

"I'm glad to hear you four are so excited. I shall report my findings to the Hokage, you are dismissed," and like that, Kim was gone in a gust of wind, leaving her team to their own devices.

In Kim's exit, it seemed that she had forgotten something, a pretty big something. "...Hey! Someone untie us!" Naruto and Seiko chuckled at their teammate's expense before doing the right thing in untying them from their post. With that, the team went their separate way; Seiko headed towards the center of Konoha to do gods know what, Nami rushed off towards her house to tell her mother the good news, Sasuki took a nice stroll aimed towards her compound, and Naruto took this quiet moment to discuss something that had been bugging him with his furry friend.

" _Kurama-san, are you there?"_

" _ **Of course, where else would I be?"**_ Kurama retorted,

" _Your sarcasm is not needed right now,"_ Naruto stated, his tone not lending itself to interpretation; right now, Naruto Uzumaki was serious, a rare state for the young blonde. " _Anyway, though I'm not happy you pointed it out, you are right about my skill set; this test with Kim has shown me that. It's lacking, almost pathetically so. I need to be stronger, both physically and in my jutsu library, so I think we need to start training right away. I need to start with learning how to control my new powers and then I think I can try and broaden my horizons."_

" _ **Very well, let us begin."**_ And with that, Naruto took a seat in front of the stump that bounded his friends mere seconds ago, a stern look on his features.

" _This will be a new time, a new place, and a whole new and improved Naruto Uzumaki, Dattebayo!"_

 ** _Thank you all so much for reading and waiting for me to update this story, it's been a while and I'll try harder to get on a regular schedule of updating. Please review and if you have any question feel free to PM me or ask me in a review._**


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